It's not because Mount Rushmore is not the best-known of American monuments that we should not mention some amusing anecdotes ... Whether they concern its construction or its current aspect, it is always pleasant to know this:
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
The memorial is visited each year by 3 million visitors. For comparison, the Statue of Liberty has 4, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal have 7, and the Forbidden City of Beijing 10.
Did you know that there is a secret chamber at Mount Rushmore? No, we are not talking about the senseless cave that we see in the film "Benjamin Gates and the Book of Secrets", but a real artificial cave, cut by hand in the 30s by the workers of the sculptor Gutzon Borglum . This cave is at the top of the mountain, behind the top of the skulls. The entrance is rectangular, but the cavity has not been completed due to lack of funds. According to the artist's wishes, a chest containing 16 enamelled porcelain panels on which are found various texts explaining how the presidents were chosen, the site, how the work was done and a brief history of United States. If you look at an aerial photo of the site, you will see it well.
Once the faces finished, the sculptor planned to add a fifth face, that of Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), activist for the right to vote women. But he could not implement his project for lack of means.
It was also the lack of means that prevented the end of the work: It was planned to carve the entire mountain to make the bust of presidents. When we look at the monument, we immediately see that the sculptures are not finished, it is obvious that the rest of the mountain had to be carved too.
A few kilometers away, another monumental statue is emerging, that of the Indian Crazy Horse chief. This statue will be in memory of all the dead American Indians, for the safeguard of the heritage of this civilization. It is obviously not viewed favorably by the authorities who see the highlight of a dark period in the history of the United States. Moreover, its erratic financing, only private, advance the sculpture by jerk.
