Thursday, May 17, 2007

Pennies, Nickels, Dimes and Quarters

OK. Name the faces. For those who flunked American history, here's a clue: (left to right) Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Why were they chosen? According to sculptor Gutzon Borglum, they represented 150 years of American history. The blasting started back in 1927. Major carving stopped in 1941 when money ran out. It was interesting to me to learn that South Dakota school children were asked to contribute their pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters toward the effort. That $1700 plus other private contributions and federal funds paid for the initial effort. Other improvements and a recent "face"-lift have all been paid for by Uncle Sam.

In case you were wondering, Mt. Rushmore is what brought me to Rapid City, SD on my eastbound trek. Just like the Grand Canyon, it was one of those places of interest that I had never visited but wanted to see. Man's sculpting efforts can never match the grandeur of what Mother Nature accomplished in the Grand Canyon, but it is impressive in it's own right.

1 comment:

Patty said...

I love clicking on the photos and seeing the full-size images. Great detail! What kind of camera are you using?

And have you taken any video with that contraption you rigged up?