M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Presidents and Patriotism: Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Photos and text by Laurie Williams Sowby

KEYSTONE, South Dakota — They’re an American icon, those four presidential faces carved into Mount Rushmore. The massive sculpture of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln is a sight that two million Americans make the trip to South Dakota to see every year, the great majority of them during the summer months.

But we took our four oldest grandkids — from nearly 9 to 13 years — on a mid-September sojourn that afforded us pleasant weather, uncrowded roads and trails at both the memorial and in adjacent Custer State Park, spacious seating in the amphitheater for the evening program, and plenty of room to roam in the Black Hills.

Click on all images to enlarge

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota weathers the seasons,
but fall is a nicer time to visit.

Minus crowds, the kids were able to hike around Sylvan Lake (seen in the popular new "National Treasure" movie) and scale the Needles (huge pointed rocks) with hardly any competition.

I don’t think any of them will ever forget their first sight of the monument as we came around a bend that first afternoon. Part of their excitement came because they were prepared for what they would find and were familiar with the history of Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Laurie and Steve Sowby and the four oldest grandkids pose for a photo as they begin their visit to the memorial last September.

Every child had been required to answer Grandma’s emailed questions about the place before they could step onto the plane. (They earned a little spending money for each correct answer and a bag of snacks for the "final exam.")

They knew about Idaho-born Gutzom Borlgum (son of a Danish Mormon convert), who sculpted the larger-than-life-size heads in his studio at the mountain’s base, and how the measurements were projected onto the granite so men could set dynamite sticks to blast off the excess rock. They knew that the 14-year project began in 1927 and had several dedications as each head was finished, until the sculptor died and his son Lincoln finished the details and closed down the project in 1941. They could tell you that Lincoln’s nose is 21 feet long and that the Black Hills only look that way because of the many dark-colored ponderosa pine that cover them.

Telescopes on the viewing terrace offer a close-up of detailed workmanship on the monuments. Lincoln's eyes are 10 feet wide, and his nose is 21 feet long.

So they were ready to enjoy the exhibits and movie in the new Lincoln Borglum Museum and Bookstore, whose rooftop has served as the enlarged viewing plaza for a decade now. And two nights in a row, we seated ourselves in the nearly-empty 2,000-seat amphitheater to watch an unabashedly patriotic program that ended with lights illuminating the four famous faces. (They’re still lit at dusk October-March, but with no formal program.)

The Lincoln Borglum Museum, named for the artist's son who completed the project after Gutzon Borglum's death, features displays and a movie explaining how the sculptures were created — incredibly, without today's modern technology.

Before that lighting and a big-screen video titled Freedom, military veterans in the audience were invited to the stage. The grandkids were all surprised to discover their grandpa had served in the U.S. Army more than three decades ago.

The second night, we were treated to a vocal performance by a park ranger who sang the fourth verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner" à capella in her stunning soprano. We were joined in the audience by only two or three busloads of tourists who had also discovered the benefits of off-peak travel.

The Avenue of Flags from all 50 United States plus its territories leads to the viewing terrace below Mount Rushmore. The area underwent a major renovation in the mid-'90s to better accommodate visitors.

It was all one big adventure for the kids, from going through airport security, to climbing into the rental van, to climbing rocks wherever they found them. In the off-season, it was no problem finding a comfortable room for six just three miles away in Keystone. Thanks to our bring-no-electronics rule, everyone participated in singing or games as we drove through the park, and at night, after a swim at the hotel, the kids were busy recording the day’s events in their journals.

Among their entries, Megan enumerated the many different types of wildlife we saw, including 22 chipmunks, along with turkeys, deer, hawks, antelope, mountain goats and buffalo. In everyone’s journal — and legend among those of us who were there — is the moment on the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park when donkeys surrounded our car and licked the windows!

Mountain goats are among unusual wildlife easily spotted in the area.

Spencer and Jarom wrote how much they liked the light show at the memorial and the 360-degree view from atop Mount Coolidge. Kate mentioned her awe at seeing the monuments for the first time and eating peanut butter sandwiches prepared on a picnic table at Sylvan Lake. And every one of them noted how fun climbing the rocks was — something they couldn’t have enjoyed nearly as much in the more crowded summer season.

Beautiful Sylvan Lake, seen in the new "National Treasure" movie, offers a scenic hiking trail. Those dots on the huge rocks are the kids, who never missed an opportunity to climb one.

Pointed rocks dubbed the Needles jut into the sky above autumn colors in Custer State Park.

If you go:

Mount Rushmore National Memorial lies about 23 miles southwest of Rapid City, S.D., and is served by that airport. It’s open every day except Christmas, with all buildings, including gift shop, museum, sculptor’s studio and cafeteria, open 8 a.m. -10 p.m. in summer and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in winter. Admission is free, but parking in the greatly enlarged terrace is $8 annually. See www.nps/gov/moru for essential info and maps.

Google motel and camping accommodations in Keystone and Custer State Park, as well as Rapid City if you don’t mind a drive.

Other worthwhile attractions in the area if you have more than two days:
Wind Cave National Park, www.nps.gov/wica
Jewel Cave National Park, www.nps.gov/jeca
71,000-acre Custer State Park, www.CusterStatePark.info $12 per vehicle for 1-7 days.

A closer view of the still-unfinished Crazy Horse Monument in progress between Hill City and Custer will set you back $25 per carload. We recommend visiting the free Mount Rushmore National Memorial and hiking in Custer State Park instead.