The Black Hills Of South Dakota - 1242 Words

This paper provides a brief background of how one man’s idea of attracting tourist to the Black Hills area in South Dakota, transformed into an iconic National symbol that attracts over 2.5 million visitors a year. Similarly, we will also review the combination of ingenious and primitive engineering techniques used to remove almost 450,000 tons of granite during the 14 year project. We will also explore the background of the artist, Gutzon Borglum, a renowned sculptor and artist, who made carving Mount Rushmore his last and final life’s passion. Together, with the help of his son Lincoln, they overcame critical design changes, setbacks, and the ever present financial deficits to make an American monument that will stand the test of time. ENGINEERING MOUNT RUSHMORE Nestled in the Black hills of South Dakota sits one of America’s most iconic national landmarks. There, carved into the granite face of what the Lakota Sioux once called â€Å"six grandfathers† mountain, are the faces of four U.S. Presidents, who are credited with great contributions to the country and westward expansion. Few Americans know of the tremendous engineering required to accomplish the sculptures, nor do they know the arduous conditions the laborers endured to give America one of its most treasured landmarks. The original idea of creating a tourist attraction in the Black Hills area came from South Dakota State Historian Doane Robinson. After reading about an artist’s work on Stone Mountain in theShow MoreRelatedThe Black Hills Of South Dakota1015 Words   |  5 Pages1884 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. A New York lawyer had just traveled there to inspect mining claims in that region. The man s name was Charles E. Rushmore. Rushmore was curious by one of the mountains and asked a towns person what the name of the mountain was. The towns person replied saying it had no name. From then on Charles Rushmore started calling it Rushmore Peak. Over time it became known as Mount Rushmore (history.com). During the following years the area of the Black Hills decided theyRead MoreThe Black Hills Institution Of South Dakota831 Words   |  4 PagesThe Black Hills Institution in South Dakota has the rights to own Sue. They found her, claimed her, and even paid for her, meaning that the g overnment should have nothing to do with who the owns her. In 1990, at the Ruth Mason Dinosaur Quarry in South Dakota, paleontologist Susan Hendrickson Ph.D., discovered some fossil bones on the side of a cliff. Her co-worker and one of the founders of The Black Hill Institution, Peter Larson, a paleontologist, helped uncover what was known as a TyrannosaurusRead MoreThe Lakota Sioux Of The Sioux Nation1599 Words   |  7 Pagesgroup’s identity as a people. One such group is the Teton Lakota of the Sioux Nation in South Dakota, an area that has been home to them for hundreds of years and, while their entire homeland is precious to them, of particular importance are the Black Hills, or Paha Sapa as they are called in Lakota. The Black Hills are an isolated mountain range rising 3000 to 4000 feet above the surrounding plains of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana (Sundstrom et al. 1996). The importance of this land to the SiouxRead MoreAmerican Environmental History : The Great Sioux Nation1384 Words   |  6 Pagesmain groups speaking different dialects: the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota. The Lakota, also known as the Teton Sioux, were the most western and largest of the three, as they occupied lands in both North and South Dakota. The Dakota, otherwise known as the Santee Sioux, lived throughout the regions of Minnesota and Nebraska. The smallest of the three, the Nakota, resided mostly in the Montana area, but also occupied lands in South and North Dakota. As stated previously, these people remain some of theRead MoreThe United States And Native Americans Essay1300 Words   |  6 Pageseven if they made them leave by force.This treaty was to basically stop the expansion of Native Americans more westward. By establishing this act federal officials were sent thought out the nation to negotiate this treaty with the tribes through the south, and getting most of the tribes to sign it. The next big treaty that basically everyone remembers is the Trail of Tears treaty. This treaty was brought up because of the Cherokee in Georgia were fighting against leaving their land. President JacksonRead MoreThe Outrageousness of The Battle of Little Bighorn1286 Words   |  5 Pagesbiggest blunders in American military history. It is also believed to be one of the most unfair decisions made by the military because of the fact that it was extremely discriminatory to the Native Americans that lived in the region of the Black Hills in South Dakota. The rights of Native Americans has been an ongoing issue ever since the pilgrims started making their settlements on Indian land. Indians had finally had enough of the Americans taking their land and in June of 1876, a bloody battle tookRead MoreLakota Sioux Tribe : The Lakota Tribe1200 Words   |  5 PagesThe Lakota Sioux primarily located in North and South Dakota â€Å"are one of three main subdivisions of the Great Sioux Nation † (â€Å"Lakota†, n.d). Prior to the 1900’s, â€Å"The Lakota tribe consist of seven bands that lived throughout the Great Plains, the largest and most famous of being the Oglala Sioux Tribe† (â€Å"Lakota†, n.d.). In the late 1800’s the Lakota were relocated to several reservations, with the majority of the tribe living on the Pine Ridge Reservation and the Rosebud Reservation. In additionRead MoreThe Mental Model Of Donnie Vincent s Life1383 Words   |  6 Pagesand hunting. 1b. The social hunters were the second largest group of the Black Hills deer hunters. They value social time with friends and family when participating in hunting. These hunters have similar emotions and values to Donnie, but can differ as well. Although Donnie enjoys the social part of hunting, as he is seen with one or two other people, he really seems to value the nature and meat aspects of the hunt. The hills social hunters have these reasons to hunt as well, but the time spent withRead MoreThe Life of Sitting Bull1014 Words   |  5 Pageswith both white men and Indians. Sitting Bull was regarded as both one of the most powerful and one of the most famous Native American Chiefs to have lived. Sitting Bull was born in 1831 in an area along the Grand River in what is now known as South Dakota. His father was a Sioux warrior named Returns-Again (Biography.com) and his mother was called Her-Holy-Door. They originally named him Jumping Badger and was given the nickname Hunkesi which stands for â€Å"slow†. The reason for calling him HunkesiRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Days Of Destruction By Chris Hedges And Joe Sacco870 Words   |  4 PagesDestruction written by both Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco offers a first hand account into some of the United States most impoverished areas, some not only the most impoverished towns in the U.S. but also in the western hemisphere. The town of Pine Ridge, South Dakota acts as an example of the long-standing marginalization of Native Americans conducted by the U.S. government, which has been taking place for over a hundred and fifty years. The ramifications of the policies put into effect by the U.S. government