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Keystone, South Dakota
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Although the original design included the presidents down to their waists, funding ran out, and the project was declared complete in 1941 with just the heads finished.
The original concept by historian Doane Robinson included Western heroes like Lewis and Clark, but sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose presidents to give the monument national significance.
Before working on Mount Rushmore, Gutzon Borglum was commissioned to carve the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain in Georgia, but he left the project due to disputes.
The mountain was named after Charles E. Rushmore, a lawyer who visited the area in 1885, and the name stuck after local usage.
The granite erodes at a rate of about 1 inch every 10,000 years, ensuring the monument's longevity for generations to come.
Behind Lincoln's head is a hidden chamber intended to house America's most important documents, though it remains largely empty today.
About 90% of the mountain was carved using dynamite, with the finer details completed by hand.
The project faced funding issues, harsh weather, and the Great Depression, yet it was completed in just 14 years.
