appointed as South Dakota's state historian. In that position, Robinson conceived the idea of the Mt. Rushmore monument to attract tourism to the Black Hills area. Mount Rushmore After reading about Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia, Robinson was inspired to create a sculpture project at the Needles, to have several granite pillars carved as likenesses of famous people. He hoped that such a sculpture would attract greater tourism to South Dakota. After failing to contact sculptor Lorado Taft, who was ill, Robinson gained the support of Gutzon Borglum. His concept was also backed by US Senator Peter Norbeck from South Dakota. Robinson began efforts to raise funds for the project and to receive permission to carve the Needles. The funds were denied, and many groups disliked the idea, including the Lakota people (Sioux), who considered the Black Hills to be sacred ground. Environmentalist Cora Johnson of the Hot Springs Star newspaper believed that such a carving would destroy the natural landscape. On Borglum's second meeting with Robinson, the sculptor recommended changing the location for the sculpture project from the Needles to Mount Rushmore. Borglum also decided that the sculptures should have a larger national focus, and he selected four presidents representing different elements and eras of United States history. In 1929, president Calvin Coolidge finally signed a bill passed by Congress, which created a commission to oversee the sculpting. Robinson was not appointed as a member of the commission, which greatly disappointed him. Following his retirement as state historian, Robinson returned to farming. He lived to see the completion of the Mount Rushmore project in 1941, to the extent allowed by funding. He died on November 27, 1946, at age 90, in Pierre, South Dakota. Legacy In addition to the Mount Rushmore project, Robinson was recognized by the naming of Doane Mountain in his honor. Located south of Mount Rushmore, it was the site for the headquarters of the project. Publications History of South Dakota A History of the Dakota or Sioux Indians from their earliest traditions and first contact with white men to the final settlement of the last of them upon reservations and consequent abandonment of the old tribal life A Brief History of South Dakota Doane Robinson's Encyclopedia of South Dakota Notes References "Mount Rushmore," People & Events: Doane Robinson (1856-1946), PBS, (2001). Jonah Leroy ("Doane") Robinson. Niels E. Hansen and Doane Robinson. External links 1856 births