Today in History: Mount Rushmore Carving Begins
The 14-year-long carving project of Mount Rushmore began on October 4, 1927, in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. The project, sometimes called the "Shrine of Democracy", was conceived by historian Doane Robinson in 1923. The project aimed to promote tourism in South Dakota.
Robinson had sculptor Gutzon Borglum travel to the Black Hills region to ensure the carving could be accomplished. Borglum chose Mount Rushmore because its vast dimensions were suitable for his vision and because the mountain faced southeast, giving it maximum sun exposure.
On March 3, 1925, Federal legislation was passed by Congress authorizing the carving. The purpose of Mt. Rushmore State Park was stated as "the establishment of a memorial commemorative of our national history and progress".
Carving began with a formal dedication by President Calvin Coolidge on August 10, 1927. During the next 14 years, the project employed over 400 workers in the 60-foot-high face carving of United States Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
According to the National Park Service, these four presidents were chosen by Borglum as they respectively represent the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation.
The immense project mainly used dynamite to carve the shapes. After, a process called 'honeycombing' was used, where workers drilled holes in close proximity, allowing for easy removal of smaller pieces. Workers also used hand tools to add small details and smooth the stone. It is estimated that workers blasted around 410,000 tons of rock off the side of the mountain.
The workers endured harsh weather conditions throughout the year and had to climb 700 stairs daily to the mountaintop. Once at the top, steel cables were used to lower workers in swings called Bosun chairs down the 500-foot face of the mountain. Miraculously, no workers died during the project, despite its dangers.
The presidents' faces were uncovered and dedicated one by one: Washington in 1930, Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937, and Roosevelt in 1939. As intended, Mount Rushmore is incredible for tourism in South Dakota, attracting more than two million visitors annually.
There is also a hidden room on Mount Rushmore that most people do not know about. Borglum's initial plan was to build a 'Hall of Artifacts' inside the mountain to hold all the information about the mountain and the United States, including historical artifacts such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
A lack of funding halted the project, with only a small portion of a tunnel built just behind Abraham Lincoln's head. The United States government demanded Borglum focus on finishing the faces instead. Borglum died three years later, without finishing the room or the faces. His son completed the project in the following seven months, putting the finishing touches on the monument.
The tunnel was ignored for decades until 1998, when the government placed a repository of records on the tunnel entrance floor. This repository consists of a teakwood box inside a titanium vault covered by a granite capstone. The following quote by Gutzon Borglum is etched on the capstone "...let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and rain alone shall wear them away."
The Hall of Records is closed to the public. It's intended as a record for future civilizations who may wonder why and how Mount Rushmore was carved.
Mnamo Oktoba 4, 1927, kazi ya kuchonga Mlima Rushmore ilianza katika milima ya Black Hills karibu na Keystone, South Dakota. "Jengo hilo, ambalo wakati mwingine huitwa ""Kikumbusho cha Demokrasia,"" lilibuniwa na mwanahistoria Doane Robinson mwaka wa 1923." Mradi huo ulikuwa na lengo la kukuza utalii katika South Dakota. Robinson alimwomba mchongaji Gutzon Borglum asafiri hadi eneo la Black Hills ili kuhakikisha kwamba uchongaji ungeweza kutimizwa. Borglum alichagua Mlima Rushmore kwa sababu ukubwa wake mkubwa ulikuwa unafaa kwa maono yake na kwa sababu mlima huo ulikuwa upande wa kusini-mashariki, ukiupa mwangaza mkubwa wa jua. Mnamo Machi 3, 1925, sheria ya shirikisho ilipitishwa na Bunge kuidhinisha uchongaji. Kusudi la Mlima. Hifadhi ya Jimbo la Rushmore ilitajwa kuwa "kuanzishwa kwa ukumbusho wa kumbukumbu ya historia yetu ya kitaifa na maendeleo". Ujenzi wa jengo hilo ulianza kwa kuanzishwa rasmi na Rais Calvin Coolidge mnamo Agosti 10, 1927. Katika miaka 14 iliyofuata, zaidi ya wafanyakazi 400 walifanya kazi katika ujenzi wa sanamu hiyo yenye urefu wa futi 60 ya nyuso za marais wa Marekani George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, na Abraham Lincoln. Kulingana na Huduma ya Hifadhi ya Taifa, marais hawa wanne walichaguliwa na Borglum kwa kuwa wanawakilisha kuzaliwa, ukuaji, maendeleo, na uhifadhi wa taifa. Mradi huo mkubwa ulitumia hasa dynamite kuchonga maumbo hayo. Baada ya hapo, utaratibu ulioitwa 'kuchimba kwa nyuki' ulitumiwa, ambapo wafanyakazi walichimba mashimo karibu-karibu, na hivyo kuwezesha kuondoa vipande vidogo kwa urahisi. Wafanyakazi pia walitumia vifaa vya mkono kuongeza mambo madogo-madogo na kusafisha jiwe. Inakadiriwa kuwa wafanyakazi walipiga karibu tani 410,000 za mwamba kutoka upande wa mlima. Wafanyakazi hao walipambana na hali mbaya ya hewa mwaka mzima na walilazimika kupanda ngazi 700 kila siku hadi kwenye kilele cha mlima. Baada ya kufika juu, waya za chuma zilitumiwa kuwahamisha wafanyakazi kwenye viti vya Bosun vilivyoinuka kutoka kwenye mwinuko wa futi 150. Kwa njia ya ajabu, hakuna mfanyakazi aliyekufa wakati wa mradi huo, licha ya hatari zilizokuwapo. Macho ya marais yalionekana na kuwekwa wakfu mmoja baada ya mwingine: Washington mwaka 1930, Jefferson mwaka 1936, Lincoln mwaka 1937, na Roosevelt mwaka 1939. Mlima Rushmore ni maarufu kwa utalii katika Dakota Kusini, na huvutia zaidi ya wageni milioni mbili kila mwaka. Kuna chumba cha siri kwenye Mlima Rushmore ambacho watu wengi hawajui. Borglum alikuwa na mpango wa kujenga 'Hall of Artifacts' ndani ya mlima ili kuhifadhi habari zote kuhusu mlima na Marekani, ikiwa ni pamoja na vitu vya kihistoria kama vile Katiba na Sheria ya Haki. Ukosefu wa fedha ulisimamisha mradi huo, na sehemu ndogo tu ya handaki ilijengwa nyuma tu ya kichwa cha Abraham Lincoln. Serikali ya Marekani ilidai Borglum azingatia kumaliza nyuso badala yake. Borglum alikufa miaka mitatu baadaye, bila kumaliza chumba hicho au nyuso. Mwana wake alimaliza mradi huo katika miezi saba iliyofuata, akimaliza ujenzi wa mnara huo. Mfereji huo ulipuuzwa kwa miongo kadhaa hadi mwaka 1998, wakati serikali ilipoweka hifadhi ya rekodi kwenye sakafu ya mlango wa handaki. Hifadhi hiyo ina sanduku la mbao ya teak ndani ya chumba cha titani kilichofunikwa na jiwe la graniti. "Gutzon Borglum aliandika: ""Hebu tuweke hapo, kuchongwa juu, karibu na mbinguni, maneno ya viongozi wetu, nyuso zao, kuonyesha kizazi cha baadaye ni watu wa aina gani.""" "Basi, omba ili rekodi hizi zidumu mpaka upepo na mvua pekee ziweze kuziondoa.""" Jumba la Rekodi limefungwa kwa umma. "Hii ni kwa ajili ya utamaduni wa baadaye ambao huenda wakajiuliza kwa nini na jinsi Mlima Rushmore ulivyotengenezwa."""