Mount Rushmore’s colossal presidential sculptures are an emblem of American history, but many Americans are just realizing that what sits atop the Black Hills of South Dakota is only part of what could have been.
Behind the 60-foot-tall stone faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt lies a story of unfulfilled ambition and incomplete dreams.
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s original vision for the monument was to be much grander, more complicated and more daringly ambitious than just the four iconic heads that exist today.
In 1923, South Dakota historian Doane Robinson envisioned a tribute to the heroes of the Old West, from Sacagawea to Buffalo Bill Cody, etched into the towering granite spiers known as The Needles in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park .
But Borglum had a different dream and rejected Robinson’s concept as “misplaced totem poles.”
Instead, Borglum saw Mount Rushmore as a canvas on which a story of national identity could be etched—and a story that would last forever.
His original plan was to create a sprawling monument featuring the full torsos of the four presidents, accompanied by a towering 100-foot tablet recording America’s milestones, from the Declaration of Independence to the Louisiana Purchase.
Borglum declared, “America will march across that skyline,” envisioning a tribute that would rival the pyramids of Egypt.
Mount Rushmore is an emblem of American history, but many are just realizing that what sits atop the Black Hills of South Dakota is only part of what could have been.
American sculptor Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941) is working on his working model for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, depicting the presidents and their torsos. This photo was taken around 1926 in the artist’s studio in Pennington County, South Dakota
Behind the 60-foot-tall stone faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt lies a story of unfulfilled ambition and incomplete dreams
The sculpture began in 1927, a technical feat that was as daring and challenging as it was dangerous.
Workers strapped themselves into harnesses before dangling over steep cliffs, using dynamite and jackhammers to sculpt history into stone.
But the challenges were unyielding: unstable granite, a looming financial crisis and the threat of World War II.
The original plan to cut every president from head to toe quickly collapsed under the pressure of setbacks. Cracks worked their way through the rock, changing the designs.
Washington was completed first and unveiled on July 4, 1930, but when it turned out that Jefferson’s original sculpture rested on unsuitable granite, his face was blown off the mountain with dynamite and re-sculpted on the other side.
Lincoln’s head supplanted Borglum’s planned tablet of American history.
Every adjustment, move and compromise undermined Borglum’s grand vision.
The torsos of the presidents, so central to Borglum’s original vision, were abandoned as funds dwindled and war loomed.
Workmen on the faces of Mount Rushmore, Pennington County, South Dakota, seen in the late 1930s. Roosevelt has the scaffolding over his face
Stonemasons are seen on scaffolding and tackle carving Thomas Jefferson’s face into Mount Rushmore
There are sculptors working on the enormous sculpture. Washington and Jefferson’s heads from the top of Lincoln’s head
Scultor Gutzon Borglum’s original vision for the monument was to be much grander, more complicated and more ambitious than just the four iconic heads that exist today.
In addition to the presidents’ torsos, a list of the nine most important events in American history would also appear on the right
It saw Borglum shift his attention to a secret room: the Hall of Records.
This hidden vault, carved behind Lincoln’s head, was intended to preserve America’s most sacred documents and artifacts for posterity – essentially a vault of history for future civilizations.
But when funding dried up, Congress mandated a focus solely on faces.
The Hall remained nothing more than an unfinished tunnel, and it was not until 1998 that Borglum’s dream found some semblance of realization.
Later, a titanium vault containing historical papers and documents was installed at the entrance to the hall, a modest nod to the sculptor’s unyielding ambition.
It was 14 years later before Mount Rushmore was declared ‘complete’ on October 31, 1941; Borglum had already died in March of that year.
As history progressed, the public’s perception of Mount Rushmore changed.
Today, few visitors realize that the monument they see with the heads staring back at them are just fragments of Borglum’s vision
Nearly 3 million visitors come to Mount Rushmore every year. Its existence has inspired other ambitious projects
The once radical vision of a monument chronicling America’s evolution from its birth to its preservation took its current form.
Today, few visitors realize that the monument they see with iconic heads staring back at them are just fragments of Borglum’s vision.
Despite all its challenges, Mount Rushmore remains a testament to resilience and artistry.
Nearly 3 million visitors come to Mount Rushmore every year. Its existence has inspired other ambitious projects.
Wyoming lawmaker Steve Harshman proposed creating a similar monument featuring historical American figures, including Native American leaders, to be completed in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.