Driving through America�s National Parks

Mount Rushmore

After spending nearly two days at the Yellowstone National Park, we left West Yellowstone in Montana on the morning of August 17, 2015 for Rapid City in South Dakota. The first 75 miles of the drive, initially through the northwestern section of Yellowstone and then along the Gallatin River meandering between towering mountains, was quite scenic. The remaining 575 miles through the wind-swept rolling prairies of Montana and Wyoming punctuated with a few winding mountain passes was unremarkable.

We reached Rapid City, a nondescript “sleepy” town, before dusk. It is an ideal place to stay and tour the nearby attractions _ Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Monument and Devils Tower. However, with two days left before driving to Denver and flying back home, we decided to visit only Mount Rushmore and Badlands.

Next day, the sky was cloudy with occasional drizzles in the forecast. Nevertheless, we departed for Mount Rushmore, located 23 miles northeast of Rapid City, early in the morning because pre-noon hours are the best time to take pictures of the southeast facing mountain.

The Black Hills of South Dakota through which the road to Mount Rushmore runs abound in evergreens. From a distance the evergreen-covered slopes loom like a “backlit silhouette” against the vastness of the Great Plains. The picturesque drive with frequent twists, turns and changing elevations was an antithesis to the prairies through which we drove earlier.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a quintessential Americana, is a 60-ft sculpture of four US presidents _ George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt _ carved out into the granite face of one of the Black Hills Mountains. These four Presidents were chosen to represent the founding, growth, preservation and development of the United States. We read about the memorial in books, saw it in photos and movies, but standing in front of this iconic monument with flags of fifty US states fluttering was indeed an awe-inspiring experience.

Designed by Gutzon Borglum, a Danish-American artist and sculptor, Mount Rushmore is an impressive feat of art and engineering, the sculpting was done by first blasting away tons of rock with dynamites. After that, despite South Dakota’s severe weather conditions, from blazing hot Sun to bitter cold winters to gusty prairie winds, stone workers sat on hanging “swing seats” and used jackhammers, drills and other tools to carve the busts.

It took Borglum and 400 workers 14 years, 1927 to 1941, to complete the work. The project cost nearly one million dollars and was mostly carved during the Great Depression. Unfortunately, Borglum died seven months before the completion of his masterpiece. His son, Lincoln Borglum, oversaw the completion.

While Mount Rushmore is considered to be the shrine of America’s democracy, the Sioux Nation believe that it is a story of their struggle. According to them, the memorial celebrates the European settlers who killed countless Native Americans and forcibly seized their land. And they have genuine reasons for their belief.

The sacred land of the Black Hills originally belonged to the Lakota, one of the tribes of the Sioux Nation. But the US Government annexed the area after the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. To this day, the ownership of the land remains the subject of legal dispute. The Sioux contend that the annexation is illegal because the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie guaranteed perpetual ownership of the land to the Lakota.

Anyway, other than looking at the sculpted busts of the presidents, taking some snapshots and watching a movie on the history of the memorial, Mount Rushmore is not an attraction that can captivate ones attention for more than two hours. In fact, one can get a good view of the busts from pullouts on the highway and thereby save eleven dollars in parking fee.

After an early light lunch at the memorial’s cafeteria, we headed for the Badlands National Park. Lucky for us, as we were driving away from Mount Rushmore, clouds moved in and completely shrouded the mountain.

The writer is Professor of Physics at Fordham University, New York.

Photos: Mahjabeen Haider

Driving through America�s National Parks

Mount Rushmore

After spending nearly two days at the Yellowstone National Park, we left West Yellowstone in Montana on the morning of August 17, 2015 for Rapid City in South Dakota. The first 75 miles of the drive, initially through the northwestern section of Yellowstone and then along the Gallatin River meandering between towering mountains, was quite scenic. The remaining 575 miles through the wind-swept rolling prairies of Montana and Wyoming punctuated with a few winding mountain passes was unremarkable. We reached Rapid City, a nondescript sleepy town, before dusk. It is an ideal place to stay and tour the nearby attractions _ Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Monument and Devils Tower. However, with two days left before driving to Denver and flying back home, we decided to visit only Mount Rushmore and Badlands. Next day, the sky was cloudy with occasional drizzles in the forecast. Nevertheless, we departed for Mount Rushmore, located 23 miles northeast of Rapid City, early in the morning because pre-noon hours are the best time to take pictures of the southeast facing mountain. The Black Hills of South Dakota through which the road to Mount Rushmore runs abound in evergreens. From a distance the evergreen-covered slopes loom like a backlit silhouette against the vastness of the Great Plains. The picturesque drive with frequent twists, turns and changing elevations was an antithesis to the prairies through which we drove earlier. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a quintessential Americana, is a 60-ft sculpture of four US presidents _ George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt _ carved out into the granite face of one of the Black Hills Mountains. These four Presidents were chosen to represent the founding, growth, preservation and development of the United States. We read about the memorial in books, saw it in photos and movies, but standing in front of this iconic monument with flags of fifty US states fluttering was indeed an awe-inspiring experience. Designed by Gutzon Borglum, a Danish-American artist and sculptor, Mount Rushmore is an impressive feat of art and engineering, the sculpting was done by first blasting away tons of rock with dynamites. After that, despite South Dakotas severe weather conditions, from blazing hot Sun to bitter cold winters to gusty prairie winds, stone workers sat on hanging swing seats and used jackhammers, drills and other tools to carve the busts. It took Borglum and 400 workers 14 years, 1927 to 1941, to complete the work. The project cost nearly one million dollars and was mostly carved during the Great Depression. Unfortunately, Borglum died seven months before the completion of his masterpiece. His son, Lincoln Borglum, oversaw the completion. While Mount Rushmore is considered to be the shrine of Americas democracy, the Sioux Nation believe that it is a story of their struggle. According to them, the memorial celebrates the European settlers who killed countless Native Americans and forcibly seized their land. And they have genuine reasons for their belief. The sacred land of the Black Hills originally belonged to the Lakota, one of the tribes of the Sioux Nation. But the US Government annexed the area after the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. To this day, the ownership of the land remains the subject of legal dispute. The Sioux contend that the annexation is illegal because the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie guaranteed perpetual ownership of the land to the Lakota. Anyway, other than looking at the sculpted busts of the presidents, taking some snapshots and watching a movie on the history of the memorial, Mount Rushmore is not an attraction that can captivate ones attention for more than two hours. In fact, one can get a good view of the busts from pullouts on the highway and thereby save eleven dollars in parking fee. After an early light lunch at the memorials cafeteria, we headed for the Badlands National Park. Lucky for us, as we were driving away from Mount Rushmore, clouds moved in and completely shrouded the mountain. The writer is Professor of Physics at Fordham University, New York. Photos: Mahjabeen Haider