Four Faces of History

It is such a pity that popular culture latches on to some words and overuses and abuses them to such an extent that they become so cliché and hackneyed their original intent is lost. Such a word is "awesome". But THAT is the word that springs to mind when seeing Mount Rushmore.  Not only because the physical impression of the sculptural achievement is utterly impressive but also because the thought behind the choice of Presidents and the challenge involved in overcoming the forces of both Mother and Human Nature cannot help but produce a sense of awe. 

Instead of camping in Hermosa, South Dakota we ended up staying in a cabin...pretty much the same as camping since all cooking was still outside and water was from our 7 gallon container, but we had a real bed, a ceiling fan, WiFi and cable TV!  Bathrooms, showers and a coin operated laundry were next to the heated pool. As soon as we had negotiated the change in plans we took off for Mount Rushmore.

The ride was beautimous! Mountain roads, bucolic scenes of cabins and horses behind white fences, long expanses of glorious rock faces seeming to hold up an endless expanse of sky and then, suddenly there's a bend in the road and there it is! The four faces of history strikingly staring off over the great country they dedicated their lives to.  But we had not yet arrived, this was just a preview, a quick but utterly AWESOME confrontation with the marvel we would soon be viewing within the Federal monumental. (More on that later.) This sudden appearance and then disappearance truly took my breath away.  One deep intake of breath, two blinks of an eye and they were gone!

The actual monument, all formalized and official with lots of granite and museums, requisite gift shops and all the expected trappings of a place that hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year does not disappoint but also, does not take away your breath.  A short film narrated by Tom Brokaw is due for a face lift but is very enlightening.

I, for one, was not aware of the rationale behind the selection of the four Presidents on Mount Rushmore...or that the original intent was to use the area called The Needles to create images of famous Western heroes ; Buffalo Bill Cody, Red Cloud & Lewis and Clark as a means of drawing tourism to the Black Hills. Doane Robinson approached the renowned sculptor Gutson Borglum who was excited about the idea but totally changed the concept. First of all, he rejected The Needles because he found them too brittle and he suggested that to do justice to the ideals of America he should portray four Presidents who represented distinct characteristics of the American Ideal. Washington, who rejected the suggestion of becoming a Monarch over the new nation he had helped to establish, Jefferson because he embraced the expansion and exploration of the nation by negotiating the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition, Lincoln for preserving the Union and freeing the slaves and Teddy Roosevelt for guiding the industrial revolution away from robber barons and helping the common man find a future in our Capitalist development.

That said, there is some criticism
Patriotism is a very valid sentiment. I applaud the sense of pride that one can feel for the achievements and ideals that unify us as a nation...but the presentation that precedes the lighting of Mount Rushmore at night is sooooo full of kitsch and cloying nationalistic patriotism that it was utterly annoying. Here's the rundown of the presentation:

• Cute female ranger comes out; makes necessary announcements telling us what to expect
• Cute female ranger comes out again and regales us with her personal quest to work at Mount Rushmore and the importance of not giving up
• She then tells us how the sculptor didn't give up
• How Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt didn't give up
• Then she introduces a 20 minute film that talks about how the sculptor and the four presidents didn't give up
• Then we sing America the beautiful
• Lights come on

We happened to be there on September 11 so she also called every member of the armed services, active or retired and all first responders to the stage to participate in the lowering of the flag and then every single one of them (about 75, I would guess) to state their names and what branch of the armed services they represented.  This was very moving and very appropriate.  But she needs to take a course in presentation skills. PLEASE!

South Dakota has enchanted us with the most beautiful scenery! I'm dedicating this post to Mount Rushmore, but there is so, so much more to see and to appreciate in South Dakota.  We could have spent a lot more time there!