Gutzon Borglum

Gutzon Borglum was born in Idaho, first learned art in California, gained fame in France, was welcomed in England, and was called home by America. His work ranged from the exquisite to the colossal, giving permanence on canvas, in bronze, and in marble to moods of beauty or passion and to figures of legend and history. Nations, cities, and colleges paid him tribute. As a patriot, he stripped corruption bare, and as a statesman, he toiled for equality in the rights of man. He ultimately carved Mount Rushmore as a monument and wanted in America a memory of the great things accomplished as a nation, placed so high it would not pay to pull it down for lesser purposes. The first actual Rushmore carving began in 1927, and the project was nearly completed in 1941 when Borglum died. Mount Rushmore was completed by his son Lincoln, with the final drilling done October 31, 1941. Beginning with a log cabin as his first residence here on Grizzly Creek, the Borglum home was accessible by foot to the top of Mount Rushmore, and this was also the place where Gutzon built the Mount Rushmore generator plant. Borglum said that every statue should tell a story and portray a moment in the nation's history or a man's life worth remembering.

Keystone, South Dakota · United States