Gutzon Borglum

Gutzon Borglum was born in Idaho, first learned art in California, gained early fame in France, and was welcomed in England before returning to America. His work ranged from the exquisite to the colossal, giving lasting form on canvas, in bronze, and in marble to moods of beauty or passion and to figures of legend and history, winning tribute from nations, cities, and colleges. He was also presented as a patriot who exposed corruption and as a statesman who labored for equality in the rights of man. In his final monumental work, he carved a mountain into a memorial that called on Americans to remember the giant souls who set America free and kept her free and to hold fast their sacred heritage. The first actual carving began in 1927; the Washington head was dedicated in 1931 for the founding of the government, Jefferson in 1936 for the first great westward expansion through the Louisiana Purchase, Lincoln in 1937 for preserving the Union, and Roosevelt in 1939 for the completion of the Panama Canal. Borglum said he wanted somewhere in America a memory of the great things accomplished as a nation, placed so high that it would not pay to pull it down for lesser purposes. The project was nearly completed in 1941 when he died, and Mount Rushmore was completed by his son Lincoln with the final drilling done October 31, 1941.

Keystone, South Dakota · United States