Sierra AmundsonMrs. YoungEnglish 114 April 2014Mount. RushmoreWhat would you have to do to get your face carved into the side of a huge mountain? For Borglum, the primary creator of Mount Rushmore, it meant being a nationally known person, like a president. Mount Rushmore is a famous monument with strong significance to American history. It has been a long journey to develop this monument, from choosing the mountain, to deciding who will represent our country, to building the impressive structure, to what tourists think of it today. Borglum searched for the “perfect” rock; he seemed to always complain about them (SV; SV) (St. George 14). He said that some mountains have too many cracks, or that the grain of the granite is coarse, and some were facing the wrong direction (St. George 14). The lower half of some of the mountains found was a material called mica schist; this rock is completely unsuitable for carving, so it was necessary to pass over seventy percent of the mountains found (SV; SV, CA SV) (Levisay). Borglum searched for the perfect rock for a long time because he believed that the monument he was about to build would be extremely important. He didn't want just any rock to be his masterpiece; he had to find the perfect one. The idea of ​​searching the Black Hills was first introduced by Doane Robinson (Westway). The Black Hills were a great place to look because there was so much space, big mountains, and nature still unknown to people. Borglum found a mountain that he liked very much because of its size and even better he claims to love it because it faces South East (Jones). The mountain, being exposed to the southeast, means that the sun will shine on that half of the mountain for most of the day. The Borglum rock… in the center of the card… a conception, until about ten minutes ago, not only of its greatness but also of its permanent beauty and importance” (Jones). After Roosevelt's statement was published nationwide, people flocked to the site to see it for themselves. It has become one of the greatest iconic images of the United States! The project was officially completed in October 1941. Mount Rushmore is a glorious monument that people will treasure for many years to come. It has a strong meaning for the United States throughout history up until today! It is an engraving that required a lot of effort, tools and patience, and no one could represent our country better than him. Overall Borglum chose the four presidents because he believed they symbolized the founding, growth, preservation, and development of the nation (St. George 37). People continue to visit Mount Rushmore and will continue to do so in the future.