South Dakota’s Black Hills offer history and artistry with an authentic Old West flavor

OF MEN AND MOUNTAINS

With dynamite and determination, a sculptor with mountain-sized vision and a team of common laborers made history in the Black Hills. Today, their shrine to democracy lives on in four granite faces that keep visitors streaming to Mount Rushmore.

The faces emerge slowly, ghostly features peering out among granite peaks. A nose, a chin, then a rocky jawline juts defiantly into view.  Suddenly, George Washington emerges in full profile — surprisingly out of place amid the wrinkled contours of surrounding mountaintops, and yet somehow, serenely at home.

Seen from the road, Mount Rushmore isn’t just a monument, but an ever-changing tableau. Every pull-off along approaching highways offers a slightly different view of the massive spectacle, giving new personality to the famous quartet — six-story tall faces that gaze solemnly back at visitors.

In some ways, it’s a photographer’s dream. The subjects never move, but the fluid chemistry of clouds and sunlight seem to cast subtle new expressions upon the stony visages of Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. To shutterbugs, it’s irresistible from any angle.

A few miles short of the entrance to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Information Center, Ed Hoffer pulled his Itasca Spirit off Highway 244 and lugged out his camera tripod. The late-spring morning was cool, but sunny — a perfect window for the retired science teacher and photography buff to snap off a few frames. “We’ve actually been trying for about five years to make it over here,” said Hoffer, who lives with his wife, Patricia, in Caldwell, Idaho. A cross-country trip to see a friend in Oklahoma convinced them to squeeze a detour to Mount Rushmore into their plans this year.  “It’s the first time we’ve actually seen it in person,” Patricia Hoffer said, who couldn’t stop smiling at the view. “And well worth it. It’s absolutely amazing.”

First-time visitors can catch a glimpse of Mount Rushmore long before they reach the national memorial’s information center — you’ll find off-road turnouts filled with avid photographers and onlookers.  Even from afar, the carvings are breathtaking. But with easy parking, inexpensive admission, hiking paths, summer programs and excellent museum exhibits, a trek up to the monument shouldn’t be missed.

No one stumbles across Mount Rushmore by accident Tucked deep within the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, the national memorial requires a deliberate pilgrimage. Visitors traveling on I-90 from the east or west should take the Highway 16 exit at Rapid City and continue to Keystone — located only a few miles from Mount Rushmore.  Highway 16 winds through downtown Rapid City past an Albertson’s grocery store — a good chance to stock up on provisions. To avoid downtown congestion altogether, try the Highway 16 truck route.  From Keystone, Highway 244 affords an easy two-mile drive to the memorial. The route isn’t terribly steep and offers numerous turnouts for viewing. But watch your driving, as the road is closely patrolled.