The Sculptor's Model

Although we knew that the Mount Rushmore sculptor had created a model from which to work, we did not realize how huge it was. The model is located now (and was located during the sculpting) in the sculptor's office. Out the window to the left of the model, the actual sculpture is readily visible.

Since World War II started before the sculpture was finished, all the details of the model were not added to the sculpture. For example, the only body parts below the chin on the sculpture are Washington's lapel and Lincoln's collar. But, in the model, all four presidents were to have some below-the-chin components, including arms and hands. In fact, the right side of Lincoln's face was not even finished. The work stopped when funding had to be used for wartime. Also, the project took quite a hit when the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, died in 1941. His son, Lincoln Borglum, took over and added many finishing touches, but funding was never acquired to completely finish the project as planned.

The picture of me is from the Presidential Trail which winds through the rocks at the base of the sculpture and shows the view from the trail.