Mt. Rushmore National Memorial - Keystone, South Dakota, USA
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 43° 52.600 W 103° 27.368
13T E 624035 N 4859333
A colossal statue of the presidents Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln's portraits memorializing the democracy and freedom they represent to the country.
Waymark Code: WM12PA
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 12/27/2006
Views: 155
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is host to almost three million visitors a year from across the country and around the world. They come to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills and to view the granite portraits of Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln sculpted into the mountainside. Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has grown in fame as a symbol of America.
Mount Rushmore is a project of colossal proportion. It involved the efforts of nearly 400 men and women. The duties involved varied greatly from the call boy to drillers to the blacksmith to the housekeepers. The workers had to endure conditions that varied from blazing hot to bitter cold and windy. Each day they climbed 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to punch-in on the time clock. Then 3/8 inch thick steel cables lowered them over the front of the 500 foot face of the mountain in a "bosun chair". Some of the workers admitted being uneasy with heights, but during the Depression, any job was a good job.
Dynamite was used until only three to six inches of rock was left to remove to get to the final carving surface. At this point, the drillers and assistant carvers would drill holes into the granite very close together. This was called honeycombing. The closely drilled holes would weaken the granite so it could be removed often by hand.
After the honeycombing, the workers smoothed the surface of the faces with a hand facer or bumper tool. In this final step, the bumper tool would even up the granite, creating a surface as smooth as a sidewalk.
Hours are:
Winter- 7-days a week (October 1st - April 30th) 8:00 am - 5:00 pm; May 1st - 12th 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Summer = May 13th - August 14th 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fall = August 15th - September 30th 8:00 am - 9:00 pm.
Although there is no fee to enter the park, parking costs $10 and is not covered by the National Park Pass.
Park Name: Mt. Rushmore National Memorial
Historic/Cultural Park: yes
Natural Park: no
Recreation Area: yes
Wildlife Refuge: yes
Other Park Type not listed above:
Park Website: [Web Link]
Type of Listing: Major Park Feature
Fees in Local Currency: 10.00 (listed in local currency)
Dates of Access: From: 01/01/2006 To: 12/31/2006
Hours available: From: 8:00 AM To: 10:00 PM
Hiking: yes
Camping: no
Bicycling: no
Horseback Riding: no
Off-Roading: no
Swimming: no
Snorkling/Scuba: no
Boating: no
Rock Climbing: no
Fishing: no
Other Activities:
Other Type Detail: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:A log will require a recent photograph at the coordinates. Some of these locations will be placed for the scenery, so a gpsr will just ruin the picture.
If you don't have a digital camera post a descriptive log.