State Parks and Campgrounds---
State Tourist Travel Information
A Symbol of our Democracy
Our nation’s greatest free attraction has to be Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Located just 25 miles southwest of Rapid City, South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial was originally sculpted as a representation of the first 150 years of American history. The memorial features four U.S. presidents who served during those first 150 years. (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt).
Designer/sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose those four presidents for various reasons. He included Washington, because he led the struggle for independence. Jefferson was chosen because of his beliefs in a government by the people. Lincoln was chosen for his ideas on equality and a permanent union of the states. And, Teddy Roosevelt was immortalized for spearheading the 20th century role of the United States in foreign affairs.
Borglum started work on the project in 1927, and worked on the memorial up until his death in 1941. Before creating the memorial, Borglum had already had a successful career as an artist. In 1941 when Borglum passed away, his son Lincoln Borglum took over, and completed the project.
And, oh what a project it is! The faces are 60 feet high, and are 500 feet up. The cost of creating Mt. Rushmore National Memorial? $989, 992.32 I think you could say that it has been well worth that, many times over. The memorial has been dedicated twice by U.S. presidents (Calvin Coolidge in 1927; George Bush in 1991, at the 50th year anniversary).
The memorial now features an amphitheater, a visitor information center, a museum, a theater, a bookstore, a gift shop, Presidential Trail and dining facilities.
The memorial can be viewed 24 hours a day, year round. The visitor information center is open during the summer (late May-early Sept.) from 8am-10pm. During the winter months, the hours are 8am-5pm.
One of the most spectacular things to see is the nightly lighting ceremony. That starts are 9pm sharp, and can be viewed from the amphitheater. The lighting ceremony lasts from 9-9:30. After that the illumination lasts from 9:30-10:30.
As stated earlier, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial is just 25 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota, via U.S. Highway 16. Also, it is only three miles from Keystone, S.D, via U.S. Highway 16A and South Dakota Highway 244.
If I had to pick American sites that I want to see in my lifetime, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial would definitely be on the list. One final note: Rapid City does have a KOA Campground, located at 3010 E. Highway 44.