24. The Truth About the Construction of Mount Rushmore with Sarah Beth Cox

Places and Profiles Podcast with Adam Camac

Sarah Beth Cox, Lead Park Ranger Interpreter at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, joins host Adam Camac to discuss the history and significance of Mount Rushmore. The show notes page for this episode can be found at placesandprofiles.com/24.

1:23 - The origins of the idea for Mount Rushmore

2:25 - How Mount Rushmore ended up being the location that was chosen for the carving

3:33 - Where the name Rushmore comes from, who Rushmore was

4:17 - Background on the Black Hills of South Dakota, the area where Mount Rushmore is located, and the connection of the indigenous peoples of the area to the mountain

5:42 - The significance of the area to the indigenous peoples, who the indigenous peoples are living in the area

6:36 - Doane Robinson, Gutzon Borglum, Lincoln Borglum, who they were and their significance to the development and sculpting of Mount Rushmore, other people who were important to the development of the monument

8:55 - The original proposal to have the monument honor heroes from the American West instead of presidents, how and why the monument ended up honoring iconic American presidents instead of figures from the American West

10:40 - How the four presidents who are on Mount Rushmore were selected for inclusion on the monument

12:45 - Whether it is possible to add additional presidents to the monument or otherwise make significant adjustments to the monument

13:58 - The process of actually creating, carving, and sculpting the monument, the timetable and key milestones in the completion of the monument

18:39 - How many people worked on the project at any given time, how many people worked on the project in total across the entirety of its construction

20:36 - The backgrounds of the people who worked on the sculpting and construction of the monument, what the accommodations, conditions, and day-to-day processes were like for the workers once they got there and they started working on the monument

22:40 - Whether there were any deaths during the carving of Mount Rushmore

23:15 - Sources of funding and the amount of money spent on the construction of Mount Rushmore

24:23 - How the availability of funds and funding concerns affected the construction and development of the monument

26:22 - The Crazy Horse Memorial, how it fits into the area, how it compares to Mount Rushmore

28:59 - The impact Mount Rushmore has had on the economy, image, and tourist industry in South Dakota

30:18 - How many people visit Mount Rushmore each year

30:39 - Mount Rushmore in popular culture and movies, Mount Rushmore’s significance and role in American culture

32:32 - When Mount Rushmore began to be used as a measuring stick to measure leaders and presidents, Mount Rushmore’s role as a part of the great American road trip

35:19 - The experience of visiting Mount Rushmore, Mount Rushmore as a unifying location and symbol

37:16 - Resources where you can learn more about Mount Rushmore