Photo of the Week #40 – One Man’s Legacy Carved In Granite

I believe that all of us, in some way, want to be remembered when we leave this life. This man, Gutzon Borglum, a Danish-American, and his son, left his legacy for the ages carved in granite in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore is a national memorial administrated by the National Park Service.

The construction of the memorial began around 1927 and the heads of the four presidents were completed between 1934 and 1939. Currently, the memorial realizes about two million visitors a year. The memorial has not been without some considerable controversy over the years. The land where the memorial stands was land that belonged to the Lakota Sioux Nation from the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. It has some sacred meaning to these Native Americans. After a series of military campaigns during 1876 – 1877 the U.S. Government asserted control of the land. This is still a disputed issue.

We certainly don’t all need to carve our legacy in granite to be remembered, but this legacy should stand for at least a few thousand years. I shot this photo during my September 2010 trip to South Dakota when I changed my residence to that beautiful state.