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Presidents
and Patriotism: Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Photos and text by Laurie Williams Sowby
KEYSTONE, South Dakota — They’re an American icon,
those four presidential faces carved into Mount Rushmore. The
massive sculpture of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore
Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln is a sight that two million Americans
make the trip to South Dakota to see every year, the great majority
of them during the summer months.
But we took our four oldest grandkids — from nearly 9 to
13 years — on a mid-September sojourn that afforded us pleasant
weather, uncrowded roads and trails at both the memorial and in
adjacent Custer State Park, spacious seating in the amphitheater
for the evening program, and plenty of room to roam in the Black
Hills.
Click
on all images to enlarge
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota
weathers the seasons,
but fall is a nicer time to visit.
Minus crowds, the kids were able
to hike around Sylvan Lake (seen in the popular new "National
Treasure" movie) and scale the Needles (huge pointed rocks)
with hardly any competition.
I don’t think any of them will ever forget their first sight
of the monument as we came around a bend that first afternoon.
Part of their excitement came because they were prepared for what
they would find and were familiar with the history of Mount Rushmore
National Memorial.
Laurie and Steve Sowby and the four oldest grandkids
pose for a photo as they begin their visit to the memorial last
September.
Every child had been required to
answer Grandma’s emailed questions about the place before
they could step onto the plane. (They earned a little spending
money for each correct answer and a bag of snacks for the "final
exam.")
They knew about Idaho-born Gutzom Borlgum (son of a Danish Mormon
convert), who sculpted the larger-than-life-size heads in his
studio at the mountain’s base, and how the measurements
were projected onto the granite so men could set dynamite sticks
to blast off the excess rock. They knew that the 14-year project
began in 1927 and had several dedications as each head was finished,
until the sculptor died and his son Lincoln finished the details
and closed down the project in 1941. They could tell you that
Lincoln’s nose is 21 feet long and that the Black Hills
only look that way because of the many dark-colored ponderosa
pine that cover them.
Telescopes on the viewing terrace offer a close-up
of detailed workmanship on the monuments. Lincoln's eyes are 10
feet wide, and his nose is 21 feet long.
So they were ready
to enjoy the exhibits and movie in the new Lincoln Borglum Museum
and Bookstore, whose rooftop has served as the enlarged viewing
plaza for a decade now. And two nights in a row, we seated ourselves
in the nearly-empty 2,000-seat amphitheater to watch an unabashedly
patriotic program that ended with lights illuminating the four
famous faces. (They’re still lit at dusk October-March,
but with no formal program.)
The Lincoln Borglum Museum, named for the artist's
son who completed the project after Gutzon Borglum's death, features
displays and a movie explaining how the sculptures were created
— incredibly, without today's modern technology.
Before that lighting
and a big-screen video titled Freedom, military veterans
in the audience were invited to the stage. The grandkids were
all surprised to discover their grandpa had served in the U.S.
Army more than three decades ago.
The second night, we were treated
to a vocal performance by a park ranger who sang the fourth verse
of "The Star-Spangled Banner" à capella in her
stunning soprano. We were joined in the audience by only two or
three busloads of tourists who had also discovered the benefits
of off-peak travel.
The Avenue of Flags from all 50 United States plus
its territories leads to the viewing terrace below Mount Rushmore.
The area underwent a major renovation in the mid-'90s to better
accommodate visitors.
It was all one big
adventure for the kids, from going through airport security, to
climbing into the rental van, to climbing rocks wherever they
found them. In the off-season, it was no problem finding a comfortable
room for six just three miles away in Keystone. Thanks to our
bring-no-electronics rule, everyone participated in singing or
games as we drove through the park, and at night, after a swim
at the hotel, the kids were busy recording the day’s events
in their journals.
Among their entries, Megan enumerated the many different types
of wildlife we saw, including 22 chipmunks, along with turkeys,
deer, hawks, antelope, mountain goats and buffalo. In everyone’s
journal — and legend among those of us who were there —
is the moment on the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park when
donkeys surrounded our car and licked the windows!
Mountain goats are among unusual wildlife easily
spotted in the area.
Spencer and Jarom wrote
how much they liked the light show at the memorial and the 360-degree
view from atop Mount Coolidge. Kate mentioned her awe at seeing
the monuments for the first time and eating peanut butter sandwiches
prepared on a picnic table at Sylvan Lake. And every one of them
noted how fun climbing the rocks was — something they couldn’t
have enjoyed nearly as much in the more crowded summer season.
Beautiful Sylvan Lake, seen in the new "National
Treasure" movie, offers a scenic hiking trail. Those dots
on the huge rocks are the kids, who never missed an opportunity
to climb one.
Pointed rocks dubbed the Needles jut into the sky
above autumn colors in Custer State Park.
If you go:
Mount Rushmore National Memorial lies about 23 miles southwest
of Rapid City, S.D., and is served by that airport. It’s
open every day except Christmas, with all buildings, including
gift shop, museum, sculptor’s studio and cafeteria, open
8 a.m. -10 p.m. in summer and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in winter. Admission
is free, but parking in the greatly enlarged terrace is $8 annually.
See www.nps/gov/moru
for essential info and maps.
Google motel and camping accommodations in Keystone and Custer
State Park, as well as Rapid City if you don’t mind a drive.
Other worthwhile attractions in the area if you have more than
two days:
Wind Cave National Park, www.nps.gov/wica
Jewel Cave National Park, www.nps.gov/jeca
71,000-acre Custer State Park,
www.CusterStatePark.info $12 per vehicle for 1-7 days.
A closer view of the still-unfinished Crazy Horse Monument in
progress between Hill City and Custer will set you back $25 per
carload. We recommend visiting the free Mount Rushmore National
Memorial and hiking in Custer State Park instead.
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© 2008
Meridian Magazine.
All Rights Reserved.
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