Mount Rushmore: Myths, Legends, and Facts

By Jessica Gunderson

A stone shrine shrouded in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore is a symbol of democracy and freedom. Infographics, fact boxes, sidebars, and primary historic photos tell the story of this famous monument and the men who built it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Jul 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491429044

Jessica Gunderson

Jessica Gunderson grew up in the small town of Washburn, North Dakota. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has written more than one hundred books for young readers. Her book President Lincoln’s Killer and the America He Left Behind won a 2018 Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Silver Award. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Borglum’s Vision

Chapter 2 American Indians and Rushmore

Chapter 3 The Four Presidents

Chapter 4 Sculpting the Mountain

Chapter 5 Mount Rushmore Today

Glossary

Read More

Critical Thinking Using the Common Core

Internet Sites

Index

Chapter ONE

BORGLUM’S VISION

The Black Hills of South Dakota are a place of legend and mystery. Thick pine forests make the hills look black, which is how they got their name. The Lakota Sioux called them Páha Sápa, or hills of black. Spires of needle-shaped granite pierce the sky.

The hills are rich in beauty. They also hold some of the largest man-made sculptures in the world. Four presidents look over the Black Hills to the plains beyond. The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are etched forever in stone.

the Black Hills of South Dakota

To many, Mount Rushmore is a symbol of democracy and freedom. But this stone shrine has a different message for others, such as American Indians. The granite faces in the South Dakota Black Hills hold many