Thursday, September 13, 2012

Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: South Dakota ~ Mount Rushmore

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

Debs Webster and his family are still in South Dakota.  They’ve made it through The Badlands.  If you’d like to read about their experiences in The Badlands, you can read about it HERE.

Now it’s on to visit the amazing Mount Rushmore.

Badlands to Mount Rushmore Map
From GoogleMaps.com

As we look at this map showing the distance from The Badlands to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, we need to keep in mind that Interstate 90 was not there in 1952.  I really don’t know the route my Grandpa Debs and his family travelled.  Did they travel to Rapid City on their way?  That would make sense to me as that would be a great place to stop for supplies, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't have any personal information about or photos from their visit to this iconic national treasure.  We'll just have to imagine what these recent immigrants thought as they gazed up in awe at this magnificent sculpture formed on the side of a mountain.

Here are some interesting facts about Mount Rushmore (taken from the Mount Rushmore National Park Service website).
  • Over 90% of Mount Rushmore was carved using dynamite
  • The sculpture cost $989,992.32
  • Mount Rushmore took 14 years to build ~ from October 4, 1927 - October 31,1941
  • Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers created the sculpture

And now for some fun photos of this remarkable monument!


Through Tunnel - National Parks Image
Through Tunnel
National Parks Service Image - No Copyright
Click to Enlarge


792px-MtRushmoreEnter - Wikimedia Commons - Pic by Scott Catron
Mount Rushmore - Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Scott Catron
Click to Enlarge

Mount Rushmore and Avenue of Flags - National Parks Image
Mount Rushmore and Avenue of Flags
National Parks Service Image - No Copyright
Click to Enlarge

800px-Mount_Rushmore - Wikimedia Commons - National Park Service Image
Mount Rushmore
National Parks Service Image - No Copyright
Click to Enlarge

Full view of Mount Rushmore - National Parks Image
Full View of Mount Rushmore
National Parks Service Image - No Copyright
Click to Enlarge

Mount Rushmore at Night - National Parks Image
Mount Rushmore at Night
National Parks Service Image - No Copyright
Click to Enlarge
I hope you’ve enjoyed our visit to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

The next stop for Debs Webster and his family is Yellowstone National Park.  And yes, this stop on their cross-country trip will include old family photos from Grandpa Debs' photo album.

Thanks for reading!

Jana


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

6 comments:

  1. Love the pictures! Thank you for sharing. It reminds me of my own trip to Mount Rushmore when I was a teenager.

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    1. Hello J R Lowe! Thanks so much for stopping by!

      How fun that you were able to visit Mount Rushmore. Unfortunately, I've never been there myself.

      Thanks for reading and for your comments!

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  2. I've never seen it in person, but I am amazed at the whole idea. Even if I were a good artist, that's a project I'd be afraid to even start because there is no eraser.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Wendy,

      I've never been there in person either. And I am no artist. My dad was, but I didn't get the artist gene. It's stick figures for me. :) So, ya, there is no way I'd attempt anything like that for sure.

      HA, no eraser. That's funny! Ya, and if you make a mistake, it's there for all to see on the side of a mountain, "written in stone" as it were.

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  3. We had the pleasure of visiting Mt. Rushmore two years ago - AWESOME! We also had the opportunity to visit with one of the men who worked on the mountain. He wrote a book about his experience and sits in the gift shop and signs it for anyone who purchases it (we did). He is in his 80's now and is quite a character.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Debi,

      Oh wow! How cool that you actually got to meet one of the men who worked on the mountain!

      Thanks for stopping by!

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