The Eyes

This morning we returned to the Mt. Rushmore National Monument. We arrived just before Ten and parked on the roof of the adjacent parking garage.  I have read that some have criticized the addition of the parking garage and the walk way leading to the viewing area, I think it is misplaced.  The site is conveniently set up and well thought out making it easy for young, old and disabled to view the Presidents.

This second visit was not accompanied by the excitement of finally making it to the Black Hills, but no less impressive.  As we passed thru the granite gate the flags of each state frame the mountain and the four heads in a patriotic manner.  I think that patriotism is a potent draw to the monument. Prominent among the visitors are the Veterans, mostly from the Vietnam era, many arriving on Harleys.  Why I can only conjecture, but it was clear that they proudly displayed their service.

We intended to start the day with a Ranger tour, being early we took in the introductory movie. The movies was nicely done and set the mood for the day.  The movie, however, made us late for the tour. We caught up, and listened to the Ranger who did a nice job telling the story of why each President deserved to be on the mountain, but not much about the process of the carving, so we headed off on our own. 

The National Park Service has built a trail that allows visitors to walk along the base of the mountain.  The trail is a relatively easy assent until just under President Washington; the trail then goes up and down taking us up to the discarded chucks of stone and then down many stairs to the sculptors workshop.  The stones are all sizes. The facing of the mountain, while granite, was unsuitable for carving as it has suffered the effects of erosion over the millions, of years the mountain was exposed. So the Men of the Mountain, as the workers called themselves, had to remove tons and tons of rock to find granite suitable for carving. Primarily this was done with dynamite set in holes made with air powered jack hammers. Only the last few inches were done with hammer, chisel and then buffed with other air tools.

Mt. Rushmore, is clearly based on the,” build it and they will come” philosophy.  At the turn of the twentieth century sculptures were in vogue. Some in South Dakota, especially Doane Robinson, the state historian, thought that a series of sculptures would advance the interest of the state by bring visitors.  He reached out to Gutzon Borglum a sculptor of some reputation who created the seated Lincoln for New Jersey, and was constructing Stone Mountain in the south.

Gutzon Borglum was one of those charters that was larger than life.  His exact biography is of some question and perhaps that is what made him so driven to complete the work.  The project was enormous: money and technology were short, but Borglum was undaunted, he used his connections, it is said that he directly corresponded with a number of presidents, gave speeches and developed methods to allow the project to move forward. Of course he did not do it alone; he had a crew of locals who became talented in their own right. A list of the men is proudly displayed across from a bust of Borglum created by his son, Lincoln as you enter the walkway of the states.

The detail of the sculptures is amazing.  Borglum and his crew used shadow and light to bring the stone to life.  The faces each gaze in a different direction, the expression carved to tell the story of the man. Washington the father and character of the country, Jefferson the great thinker and author of the Declaration of Independence, Roosevelt the man of action and first world leader from the West, and Lincoln, Borglum’s favorite, the savior of the Union.

The story is particularly reflected in the eyes. The eyes, the smallest part of the sculptor, are craved such that they come to life. The eyes look out at us and remind us of why these men are on this mountain, why what the stand for is so important and why they cannot be forgotten. Our eyes too tell a story. The story of what we see or do not see in ourselves as we contemplate, not just the men on the mountain but, also the men and women who created this monument and work there each day.  And most importantly,  the story of what brought us to this place, why we singing our anthem in the rain, in unison with the veterans on the stage, as the faces are illuminated with light and what exactly it is that we take away as we leave.