Mount Rushmore in 1999 photo © William Francis Ahearn
South Dakota—Carved into the Black Hills of South Dakota are the iconic faces of four former presidents of the United States–George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These men were chosen to represent the first 150 years of American history and America’s cultural heritage.
The idea came from Doane Robinson to promote tourism in South Dakota and his idea was wildly successful–the park attracts almost 3 million park visitors every year. Gutzon Borglum designed the sculpture. Though he passed away before its completion, over 400 workers helped bring his vision to life. —Caroline Griffith
Acreage: 1,278.45
Category: National Memorial
Date Established: 03/03/1925
More Info: http://www.nps.gov/moru
Full Panoramic View of image
This photograph, created in 1999, is a double exposure. While the sun set the camera was positioned and a film frame exposed. After sunset when the park service lights came on a much longer exposure was made, on the same film frame, adding to it lighted the presidents. Exposures made on Velvia 100 roll film employing Mamiya RZ67 with 127mm lens.
