Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PETER NORBECK SCENIC BYWAY
Named for the South Dakota politician and conservationist who championed it, this
carefully engineered double-loop drive through the Black Hills was designed in the
1920s to enhance—not disrupt—the rugged natural scenery. The collection of these
byways includes Needles Highway, and Iron Mountain Road. Needles Highway,
threading its way through tunnels and between towering spires, and Iron Mountain
Road, where “pigtail” bridges (supported by rustic timber trestles) spiral upward and
the exits to tunnels perfectly frame the four faces on Mt. Rushmore.
7.
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial
Like a magnificent mirage, the four presidential faces that gaze out from Mt. Rush-
more—Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln—first peek through the trees
justsouthofKeystone.Itisn'tuntilyoureachthesiteitselfandstandontheviewingterrace
1,400 feet away that the full dimensions of this man-made marvel hit home. Each face,
measuresafull60feetfrombrowtochin.Theeyesalonearemasterpieces:granitecolumns
insideeachpupilcatchthelightinsuchawaythattheyseemtotwinkle.Whetherbathedin
the amber glow of the morning sun or lit by spotlights at night, the faces of Mt. Rushmore
seem almost alive.
Credit for this triumph of artistry and engineering belongs to Gutzon Borglum, an
Idaho-born sculptor. Two South Dakotans, Doane Robinson and Peter Norbeck, shared his
vision and gained permission from the federal government, authorization from the state le-
gislature,andthedonationsofcitizenstomatchfederalfundsforthemillion-dollarproject.
Beginning in 1927, Borglum and his crew of unemployed miners—who became accom-
plished during the succeeding years—blasted, drilled, and hammered away, removing 800
million tons of rock from the granite mountainside.
Tragically, Borglum himself did not live to see his vision fully realized. His plan was
to carve each of the four presidents to the waist, but in March 1941, after 14 years of labor,
the sculptor died suddenly, yet his masterpiece will stand for ages to come: The granite of
the sculpture erodes, on average, less than an inch every 10,000 years.
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