It’s a little small, but yes, this is Mount Rushmore viewed from the air. Actually, from the no-air-at-all. This is a satellite image from space, courtesy a fun site called Flash Earth. If you look carefully, you can make out the faces pretty well - Thomas Jefferson and George Washington particularly. You can even see the staircase leading up behind the sculpture (I’m sure the National Park Service loves that) and, just above and to the right of Theodore Roosevelt’s head, the entrance to the Hall of Records.
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum built this as a repository for copies of the most important political documents in mankind’s history, such as the American Constitution and the British Magna Carta. He knew that Mount Rushmore would be one of the longest-lasting objects on earth, and he intended to use it to preserve the values of modern human society for as long as possible.
This area isn’t open to the public, so gawk away the Hall of Records in the picture - and don’t get any funny ideas about jumping off the trail to try and get a better look. Since September 11, park security doesn’t look too kindly on folks who try to get up close and personal with George, Tom, Teddy and Abe.
I can’t claim credit for discovering this little digital gem of a photo. I found it via a Spanish-language travel blog called MERIDIANOS, which posted a nice entry last week about the Hall of Records and National Treasure: Book of Secrets. That’s about all I got out of it, since my Spanish skills are limited to “¿Dónde están los baños?” and “Dos cervezas por favor.” If anyone’s got some better Español, feel free to help me translate.
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Thank you very much by your post.I don´t speak english very well.
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial galleries:
http://dakotaphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/3995249_SAnSw
Muchas gracias por enlazar mi web.
Just thought I’d mention to you a bumper sticker I saw recently.
“Reagan Belongs On Rushmore”
Oh man. That’s a new one to me. Thanks for mentioning it.
You know, people have been trying to add faces to Rushmore since before it was even complete. The National Park Service has always said there’s no more suitable rock, but there’s a more important reason: Borglum picked Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt to very specifically represent the birth, growth, preservation and expansion (respectively) of the United States.
Adding another person completely flies in the face (yes, it’s a pun - yuk yuk) of the mountain’s symbolism and the sculptor’s original intentions. It would be a bit like trying to somehow carve Jacques Chirac into Rodin’s thinker, or attempting to paint Mussolini into the Mona Lisa. Gross.