Mount Rushmore is a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota, U.S., known for being home to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a massive sculpture featuring 60-foot-tall faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln carved into the granite mountainside.
In 1923 state historian Doane Robinson proposed the idea of creating a monumental sculpture in the Black Hills, though Robinson suggested featuring famous Native American and American Old West personalities, and at a different location. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who was hired to design and execute the project, chose to symbolize 150 years of American history with the four presidential heads, and found the rock at Mount Rushmore to be better suited for the sculpture. Construction, which began in 1927 and continued until 1941, employed dynamite and innovative carving techniques.
Today, Mount Rushmore is a top tourist attraction, with millions of annual visitors. The site has been renovated to improve accessibility and visitor experience, including the Avenue of Flags, Grand View Terrace, and the Lincoln Borglum Museum.