Mount Rushmore

Black Hills, South Dakota

Many people come to Mount Rushmore to marvel at the engineering feat itself. They stand at the base, look up, buy the tee–shirt and go onto to the next Black Hills attraction.

It is a marvel. Before computers and lasers with their abilities to detonate explosives in perfectly timed coordination, a sculptor used dynamite and chisels to carve the heads of four presidents out of granite. It is a pretty amazing accomplishment.

Mount Rushmore continues to be an integral part of American culture. Just this month, the movie Team America: World Police is generating controversy, in part, because of a scene where Mount Rushmore is attacked. Commercials featuring the monument still fill the air, including one featuring the Muppets' Miss Piggy settling an argument over pizza among the four presidents.

However, the national monument and park offer much more than a peek (pardon the pun) at a man–made marvel. The Ample Traveler© recommends that you take some time at the park. It is a part of American history and reminds us of other parts of American history that should not be forgotten.

The Black Hills are the site of some of the more brutal chapters in the struggle between manifest destiny and native sovereignty. No matter your feelings regarding this struggle, knowing this history is important. The carving of US presidents into the sacred lands of the Oglala, Lakota and Dakota tribes, some 30 miles from Wounded Knee, represents more than interesting engineering. It was symbolic of the defeat that the proud native nations of the area suffered. It was symbolic of the dominance of a nation that in less than 150 years had acquired all of the land from one coast to the other.

As the fall evening settles in on the mall at Mount Rushmore, Pattie and Carl contemplate the beauty and history of the mounument and the Black Hills. Obviously, Mount Rushmore has a particular take on this history. However, we were surprised to find the museum including some alternative interpretations of the events that led to the carving of the mountain. For balance, we recommend spending another day at the Crazy Horse Memorial a few miles down the road from Mount Rushmore. We were not able to cover Crazy Horse on this trip, but on the basis of a previous visit, we can recommend it as a good place to visit. Plan to spend at least four hours when visiting the memorial, though one could stay a day or two and still see new things. There is much to see and experience and learn.

The history lessons, however, are only part of the experience. The beautiful Presidential Trail around the base of the mountain offers a chance to see the carving from different points of view. Along the way, one can see the sculptor's studio featuring some of the processes the artist used to get to the point seen on the mountain (though this closes early off season). The trail also offers opportunity to see wildlife, including the beautiful white mountain goats that still reside on the mountainside and the chipmunks that scurry around the park.

The mall area has every flag flying over a state or territory under United States dominion. In alphabetical order, the flags fly on columns that give the date each achieved statehood or was acquired by the US.

In the cafeteria, facts and figures regarding each US president are carved in the marble columns under each picture respectively. The cafeteria is fun for other reasons. The fare is "American," with lots of cherry and apple pie available. On hot summer days, ice cream and fudge are also possible to obtain. Hot dogs, hamburgers, spaghetti and Yankee pot roast grace the menu. The prices are reasonable. But The Ample Traveler© got a kick out of the fact that French fries were nowhere in sight. We didn't ask whether this was because of the war on terrorism/Francophilia (remember "Freedom Fries"?) or the war on fat.

An effort is made throughout the park to accommodate differences. Of course, the real reason to go to the cafeteria is to try to figure out where Eva Marie Saint shot Cary Grant in the movie North by Northwest. Hitchcock filmed the scene in the cafeteria in the late 1950s. Of course, the setting looks a little different because the flags mall has been added and the parking lot has been moved away from the cafeteria. In the movie, Marie Saint makes her escape by running to a car parked close by. Such an escape would not be possible today. If you want to know more about the movie shoot, the museum actually has newspaper articles from the period.

With the exception of part of the President's Trail, ramps and wide sidewalks are available for easy access of assistive devices. Benches and handrails assist those with balance and stamina needs.
Mount Rushmore is a national monument, run by the US National Parks Service. As such, a great deal of effort has been expended to make the park accessible. Hearing impaired and sight impaired visitors will find a number of accommodations to help them enjoy the park.

The cafeteria provides a lovely view of the mounument, even on cloudy, rainy days.

The Cafeteria has movable chairs and tables, allowing for flexibility in accommodating a number of people's needs. Elevators, electronic doors, handrails and wide hallways make movement easy in most areas of the park.

The Presidential Trail is not 100% accessible. In fact, parts of it have extensive stairs to climb. However, a significant part of the trail is accessible, allowing for closer views of the mountain and its wildlife.

The mall sports a number of benches, allowing visitors who need to stop and rest on the slightly upward incline to do so. The museum also has benches available and is wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters. Restrooms are accessible. All indoor facilities are smoke–free.

We were especially impressed that the gift shop had larger sized tee–shirts and sweatshirts, going up to 5X in some styles.

The Ample Traveler©'s only real complaint was the theater seating in the museum. (See October 2004 Accommodations column for more details).

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