Autumn is a perfect time to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota's Black Hills. Fine fall weather is predicted for the next few days making for prime viewing of the spectacular art. |
MEMORIAL ATTRACTS INTERNATIONAL CROWD, EVOKES EMOTION AND AWE
STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
An "Avenue of Flags" welcomes visitors -- an impressive and colorful array of flags of the 50 U.S. states, territories, commonwealths and the District of Columbia. |
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
A FEELING of intense pride overcame me as I gazed in wonder at Mount Rushmore.
Surrounded by an international crowd of admirers -- many with children, hundreds with cameras -- I heard French, Italian, Hindi, Hebrew, German, Mandarin, Japanese and Polish as people absorbed the accomplishment. Fellow Americans wiped tears and I found myself emotional, too.
Many children are part of the crowds each day as three million people from all over the world visit annually. |
There's a fine book store, ranger talks, an excellent film about the monument's making, a beautiful viewing terrace, nature trails, fascinating artful museum, a classy gift shop, and "Carver's Cafe" where the ice cream junkie in our family tasted Thomas Jefferson's own recipe. Thumbs up! "Rich and delicious," he said.
Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers on site. |
THE STAR of the show is Gutzon Borglum's massive carving on the granite mountain. Four remarkable U.S. presidents gaze back at us, from left: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Borglum chose them for their contributions to the country, their ethics and morals, global thinking, environmental interests and preservation of the principles of the constitution.
Borglum inspected the monument many times between the work which lasted from 1927 to 1941. --photo courtesy Mount Rushmore Memorial |
One imagines him supervising as tons of dynamite blasted through the spirelike granite formations of the Black Hills. Borglum was "hands on," dangling from ropes to inspect the work as his vision took shape. He was concerned with how morning and midday light would affect his figures, and visited at various times of day to document his perceptions.
Thomas Jefferson's recipe for ice cream is one of many unique displays at Rushmore. |
WE'VE VISITED monuments and memorials worldwide -- hundreds of them commemorating fallen war heroes, statesmen, suffragists, sea battles and sailors lost, politicians, economists, scientists, explorers, city founders, musicians and artists, even beloved dogs. None had the effect that seeing this colossal, internationally known stone sculpture had on me.
sacred Black Hills land would represent continuing betrayal of trust, and another in a string of broken treaties. For centuries, Plains Indians including Arapaho, Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux have used the area for prayer, medicine, and for gathering food and building materials. In the latter half of the 19th century, U.S. expansion into the Black Hills led to the infamous Sioux Wars. In the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, the U.S. government granted exclusive use of all of the Black Hills to the Sioux. So one understands the objection to the sculpture.
A sculpture of Gutzon Borglum by his son, Lincoln Borglum in on display at the Memorial. |
This photo shows the back of the granite with the figure of George Washington peeking out. |
Rushmore admission is free. $10 for parking.
mtrushmorenationalmemorial.com
crazyhorsememorial.org
Celebrity Cruises offers 15 ships and interesting options to entertain guests, here a glass blowing demonstration & class. |
UP NEXT: We have fun in store, with Montana's Shakespeare in the Schools, San Juan and the rain forest of Puerto Rico, a Halloween preview and a special cruise with glass blowing classes. Some of our favorite cruises offer an opportunity to learn a new art and we tried our luck at glass blowing on a recent Celebrity Eclipse cruise to Antarctica. It's a cool way to educate oneself at sea, and you keep what you make, including a novel urn for ashes of a beloved pet. More on the Bard in rural schools and a recent Celebrity cruise to the far reaches of the Earth. Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, performance, nature, family and more: www.whereiscookie.com
We love your travels. So glad you made it to our neck of the woods. Beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks for understanding our objections. Yes, it is beautiful but it did betray yet another agreement....Crazy Horse helps show people our own accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteWe love this monument, but understand the complex background. Looking forward to seeing Crazy Horse, which we somehow missed.
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