The colossal presidential sculptures of Mount Rushmore stand as an emblem of U.S. history, but many Americans are just now realizing that what sits atop the Black Hills of South Dakota is only a portion of what could have been. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum's original vision for the monument was meant to be far grander, more intricate, and daringly ambitious than just the four iconic heads that exist today. In 1923, Borglum had a different dream. His original plan was to carve a sprawling monument showing the full torsos of the four presidents, accompanied by a towering 120-foot-high tablet chronicling America's milestones from the Declaration of Independence to the Louisiana Purchase. The carving began in 1927, a feat of engineering as daring and challenging as it was dangerous. Workers strapped themselves into harnesses before dangling over sheer cliffs, using dynamite and jackhammers to sculpt history into stone. However, the challenges were unyielding: unstable granite, a looming financial crisis and the threat of World War II. The original plan to carve each president from head to waist soon crumbled under the strain of setbacks. Cracks splintered their way through the rock, reshaping the designs. Each adjustment, relocation and compromise chipped away at Borglum's grand vision. The torsos of the presidents — so central to Borglum's original vision — were abandoned as funds dwindled and war loomed. It was 14 years later before Mount Rushmore was declared finished on October 31, 1941 and Borglum had already passed away in March of that year. As history marched on, the public's perception of Mount Rushmore shifted. Today, few visitors realize that the monument they see with iconic heads staring back at them are only fragments of what the monument was supposed to be.
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| The way the monument was intended to look |
