Mount Rushmore was supposed to have more detail, which you can see below:
Mount Rushmore Model of Full Design
Now that it’s been around for a pretty long time, have there ever been any attempts to raise money to finish the design?
I get that people would be affectionate toward the current look, but I’ve wondered why it was never finished.
Anyone know the history of it since it opened?
Man, Teddy R. gets kinda shafted in that design. Everyone else is in full relief and Teddys just got the front if his face peaking out of the rock with little detail.
Also looking at the picture of the actual Rushmore, they couldn’t make it look like that model if they wanted to. Jefferson is looking in a different direction in the real sculpture. So it seems obvious they not only didn’t finish, but they strayed from that original model while building.
Here’s a fascinating book on the carving of the monument and Gutzon Borglum. I found it in my college library, and they sell them by the truckload at the monument.
