The Famous Faces of This Iconic Mountain Nearly Belonged to Buffalo Bill & Lewis and Clark Instead

Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore has more secrets than a presidential library. The original plan called for full-body sculptures, there’s a secret room behind Lincoln’s head, and the whole project ran out of money before it was actually finished. America’s favorite mountain carving has some explaining to do…

Mount Rushmore’s Original Plan Changed

Mount Rushmore wasn’t meant to feature presidents at first. A historian named Doane Robinson wanted to carve the faces of Western heroes like Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud, and Buffalo Bill into the Black Hills’ granite cliffs. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum suggested using presidents instead.

The first design showed the presidents from head to waist, but the Great Depression led to budget cuts that limited the carving to just their heads. Borglum’s son, Lincoln Borglum, finished the monument after his father died in 1941.

Time Capsule Behind Lincoln’s Head

Behind Lincoln’s hair lies a hidden chamber called the Hall of Records, which originally began as a 70-foot tunnel in 1938. Its entrance is 20 feet high and 14 feet wide, originally intended to feature cast glass doors with a bronze eagle above it.

The workers carved out the room but couldn’t finish it. The chamber sat empty for decades until 1998 when officials placed special titanium boxes filled with historical documents inside it.

The Presidents’ Eyes Look Real

The sculptors found a clever way to make the presidents’ eyes look lifelike in granite. Luigi Del Bianco, Borglum’s chief carver designed cubic granite in the eye sockets, and the irises of the eyes were sculpted as concave holes to catch light.

This technique makes each president’s eyes seem to sparkle and move as the sun changes position. The team carved 20-inch holes for pupils and added small rock bumps that reflect sunlight.

Borglum took special care with this detail and spent several weeks getting it just right.

Modern Tools Shaped the Mountain

The carving of Mount Rushmore in the 1930s used surprisingly modern equipment. The workers handled jackhammers (weighed nearly half as much as some workers) that connected to air compressors through long hoses, and used dynamite to remove 90% of the rock through careful explosions.

They used a special measuring device to copy exact points from small models to the mountain. The team even created a new method called “honeycombing,” where they drilled holes close together to remove large chunks of rock without harming the surrounding stone.

Hidden Features on the Monument

The mountain contains several carved details that most people miss when looking at the presidents’ faces. Borglum originally wanted Roosevelt’s glasses to be fully carved, but only the bridge and part of the lenses were carved.

Some remnants of the first Jefferson carving are faintly visible behind Washington’s left side. Roosevelt’s head has an unfinished section behind it that would have been part of his suit jacket.

Borglum also left his true “signature” in the form of the Hall of Records, which he considered his greatest legacy.

Parts of Mount Rushmore Were Never Finished

The monument we see today isn’t quite what Borglum planned. The team had to leave some details unfinished when they ran out of money in 1941.

Borglum wanted to add large granite walls behind each president and cover them with 9-foot-tall inscriptions detailing key moments like the Declaration of Independence, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Civil War.

Roosevelt’s suit was meant to include lapels and a pocket square but remains incomplete behind his head.

Lightning Rods Protect the Historic Monument

Mount Rushmore, standing 5,725 feet above sea level is struck by lightning an estimated 100 times per year. Modern engineers have embedded copper grounding rods and conductive pathways into the mountain to disperse electrical charges safely into the ground.

The National Park Service (NPS) uses 3D laser scans and drone imaging to monitor any micro-fractures that might widen due to repeated strikes. This system helps preserve the monument against South Dakota’s intense storms (about 30,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes happen every year).

Workers Check the Monument for Damage

Teams of skilled workers use dual rope systems to climb down the presidents’ faces to the carved surfaces. Washington’s face is the largest, measuring about 60 feet tall from chin to crown.

They fill cracks with special silicon that can stretch and shrink as the rock moves. The sealant prevents water infiltration that could exacerbate existing cracks through freeze-thaw cycles.

The granite faces must withstand temperatures from 30 degrees below zero to 100 degrees above.

Native Americans Consider the Site Sacred

The Lakota origin story links the Black Hills to Wind Cave, a sacred site called “The Six Grandfathers” used for important ceremonies for hundreds of years. The mountain got its current name from Charles Rushmore, a New York lawyer who visited in 1885 while checking on mining rights.

The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty had given the Black Hills to the Lakota people forever, making the monument’s creation a topic of ongoing discussion. The name “Mount Rushmore” was officially recognized by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in June 1930.

Removed Rock Created New Wildlife

The carving process left behind 450,000 tons of rock at the bottom of the mountain. This pile of granite has transformed into a rich habitat of native grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs.

Pasqueflowers (South Dakota’s state flower) and purple coneflowers bloom in spring. The area has become especially good for Rocky Mountain goats (introduced in 1924), with more than 100 of them living there now.

Birds such as Red-Breasted Nuthatches and Yellow-Rumped Warblers inhabit the surrounding ponderosa pines.

Math Methods Made Carving Possible

Borgin’s original scale served as a reference. The sculptors used a process called “pointing” to make accurate carvings. worked from a model that was 12 times smaller than the actual mountain (about five feet tall) and made from plaster and clay.

Each spot they measured on the model matched up with a spot on the mountain after they multiplied the size (. The team put 400 marker points (red paint and long metal rods inserted into drilled holes) on the mountain’s surface to keep their measurements accurate within three inches.

Different Seasons Change the Monument

The granite absorbs and reflects light differently based on moisture levels, making the monument appear slightly darker after rain.

Winter fills their eyes and facial cracks with snow, while spring creates 100-foot waterfalls down the stone faces.

The sun’s position makes different features stand out: early morning light at 7 AM highlights Washington’s face, while the afternoon sun at 2 PM makes Lincoln’s features more dramatic.