Pilgrimage to Mount Rushmore

On Sunday afternoon, after church, we made the essential American pilgrimage to Mount Rushmore. As we had learned in advance, admission to the monument is free, BUT the parking is operated by a concession that charges a fee, in our case $11, which is not discounted for any Federal pass holders. The parking pass is good for the entire year, but I suspect few of Mount Rushmore's visitors are able to take advantage of that fact. We entered a multi-tiered parking garage and found a spot

before joining the many other visitors. Leaving the parking area, we approached the monument via a kind of concourse.

Despite the many pictures I've seen of Mount Rushmore, I never had any impression of the complex at the base of the monument, so it was somewhat of a surprise. Each of the pillars above bears state flags, with each state's year of statehood engraved on the pillar below its flag.  The concourse ends in a platform overlooking an amphitheater, where evening visitors can watch light shows. At last, we were able to gaze at the giant sculptures that have come to symbolize America as much as the Statue of Liberty has.

The sheer size of the sculptures, and their looming height, is awe inspiring. We spent some time in the visitors' center, which is tucked under the viewing platform, where a movie and numerous exhibits reiterated just how amazing this achievement was.

It was constructed from 1927 to 1941 under the leadership of master sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who said it was "the formal rendering of the philosophy of our government into granite on a mountain peak." Begun during the swaggering 1920s, funding became  a problem in the 1930s, and Borglum himself personally solicited funds so the project could continue.Borglum died in March 1941, but his son Lincoln oversaw the completion of the four heads. As the United States was entering World War II, the work stopped.

The process of carving the monument evolved as the work progressed. Apparently the initial concept was for three presidents.

Even as work progressed, the realities of the stone called for adjustments in the sculpture, and the models evolved as the faces emerged from the mountain.

The brochure calls Mount Rushmore "A Shrine in the Black Hills." I think that is a good way to put it. It is like a shrine to American ideals, and visiting here is a kind of American pilgrimage. But, it is more than that; it is a pilgrimage that draws visitors from all over the world. We heard many tongues as we strolled among the other visitors.

Upon leaving, we somehow managed to turn the wrong way, but as often happens, it wasn't really wrong at all, since otherwise we wouldn't have seen this view of the George Washington head.