# Mount Rushmore - Meh **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204 "2008-12-21T18:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/1 "2008-12-21T18:20:21Z")
Mount Rushmore just doesn’t work for me. Perhaps in person it would be impressive, but from pictures I’ve seen, it is a failure. Lincoln is awkwardly placed apart from the others. Jefferson looks nothing like Jefferson. Washington has lapels, while the others don’t even get necks. Half of Roosevelt’s face is shrouded in shadow. The right (to the viewer) side of Lincoln’s head seems unfinished. I could go on. I do not mean to denigrate the efforts of Gutzon Borglum and all those who worked on creating Mount Rushmore. I know that due to funding running out, the intended monument was never finished. And it still is a pretty impressive engineering feat, but it just doesn’t hack it as a work of art. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/2 "2008-12-21T18:24:14Z")
In a Venn diagram the intersection between fine art and statues of dead politicians is the null set. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/3 "2008-12-21T18:30:10Z")
OTOH, the notion of the [Hall of Records](http://www.nps.gov/archive/moru/park_history/carving_hist/hall_of_records.htm) was a neat concept. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/4 "2008-12-21T18:53:27Z")
Short of actually moving the mountains, I’m not sure how you would expect them to have placed Lincoln any differently. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/5 "2008-12-21T18:53:49Z")
As art, no, Count Rushmore’s eponymous mountain is no great shakes. But if you’re in the right area of the country, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, [Wall Drug](http://www.walldrug.com/) and Badlands National Park make a pretty fun long-weekend road trip. It’s not an “Oh my god, this is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen” kind of thing, i.e., it’s not the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China or anything like that, but it’s fun to see and it is fairly impressive in person. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/6 "2008-12-21T18:55:55Z")
It’s the most amazing natural rock formation in the world. What’s not to admire? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/7 "2008-12-21T19:00:34Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s the most amazing natural rock formation in the world. What’s not to admire? Roosevelt used it to great effect in his campaign. “Look, I’m on the mountain. You’ve got to elect me now.” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/8 "2008-12-21T19:16:12Z")
> [@The\_Superhero](#): > > As art, no, Count Rushmore’s eponymous mountain is no great shakes. > > But if you’re in the right area of the country, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, [Wall Drug](http://www.walldrug.com/) and Badlands National Park make a pretty fun long-weekend road trip. It’s not an “Oh my god, this is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen” kind of thing, i.e., it’s not the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China or anything like that, but it’s fun to see and it is fairly impressive in person. Badlands National Park, on the other hand, IMHO is in one of those “holy crap this is the most amazing thing ever” categories. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/9 "2008-12-21T19:25:59Z")
Seeing it in person made it 1000% cooler to me. It’s big. FUCKING big. The sheer size of it, and the ability of the workers to carve it proportionately without blowing a nose off, is impressive. As art? Naaaah, it’s not much. But as a man-made marvel, it’s pretty noteworthy. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/10 "2008-12-21T19:36:04Z")
Been there. The heads are pretty far from the public vantage point and it is fairly obvious that even if Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint had managed to avoid Martin Landau, they just would’ve plunged hundreds of feet to their deaths anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/11 "2008-12-21T20:02:19Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > In a Venn diagram the intersection between fine art and statues of dead politicians is the null set. [Really?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Karl_der_gro%C3%9Fe.jpg) [Seems a bit harsh to me.](http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Statues/Charlemagne/Charlemagne-b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/12 "2008-12-21T20:52:47Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Lincoln is awkwardly placed apart from the others. Jefferson looks nothing like Jefferson. Washington has lapels, while the others don’t even get necks. Half of Roosevelt’s face is shrouded in shadow. The right (to the viewer) side of Lincoln’s head seems unfinished. I could go on. Well there was supposed to be more of it. You’re really looking at an unfinished work of art. I’ve seen it and it is cool. As for the Badlands they are cool for like 2 mintues then they are just endless miles of the same thing. I think in today’s world people are less easily impressed than before. But to me I was far more disapointed in the Golden Gate Bridge, it looks MUCH better in photos then in person. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/13 "2008-12-21T21:14:29Z")
It’ll really look great when they add Reagan! ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/14 "2008-12-21T21:40:23Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Short of actually moving the mountains, I’m not sure how you would expect them to have placed Lincoln any differently. Agreed. But that is neither here nor there. I wasn’t making a statement about the inherent problems of the mountain that the monument was carved from. Only that it is a monumental (he he) failure as a work of art. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/15 "2008-12-22T00:10:00Z")
Mount Rushmore is worthwhile as only about a 1-2 hour stop in a several day excursion to the Black Hills. Unless you’re really into it. The only way you can extend the “Mount Rushmore Experience” is to drive down my very favorite road in the entire world, 16A, Iron Mountain Road. Driving south from Mt. Rushmore, look backwards as you drive through each of the tunnels. You’ll see Rushmore neatly framed. Then stop at the scenic overlook, where you can blot out Rushmore with your thumb, and get a sense of the whole thing, including the visitor center. I have a photo from there on my facebook page, but I won’t open link here. Crazy Horse Monument, Needles, Harney Peak, the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop, Deadwood, the shops of Hill City and Keystone… I spend far more time in those places. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/16 "2008-12-22T00:13:30Z")
I went there, expecting to see Cary Grant. Must have missed him. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/17 "2008-12-22T01:27:17Z")
On our high school class trip, they made a special detour to drive up there for us to see it. We were bored out of our minds after about six seconds. Most definitely not a high point of our trip, and if you see a photo, you can safely lie to anyone and say you were there. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/18 "2008-12-22T04:39:04Z")
It works more as a monument than as a work of art. It is also very cool to have something like that in the West for people who live thousands of miles from places like Washington, DC, or the Statue of Liberty. I also enjoyed it more as an adult, especially with the new visitor’s center, the trails which give you a much closer look than traditionally available, and the evening flag ceremony. I love the Black Hills and the Badlands. Definitely a place worth visiting. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/19 "2008-12-22T05:03:34Z")
I’ve been there twice, and while I wouldn’t say you can spend hours staring at the thing, it’s an incredible achievement that’s well worth appreciating in all its enormity. And the Black Hills area has tons of stuff to do around it. I also agree with Markxxx about the Badlands. Two miles in, and you’ve seen what there is to see, but the park has another thirty miles of the same to look at. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204/20 "2008-12-22T05:25:42Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > it’s an incredible achievement that’s well worth appreciating in all its enormity. \ **enormity** isn’t appropriate as the noun form of **enormous.** It really means heinousness or appallingness. For **enormous** , we’re pretty much stuck with **enormousness.** \ Hey, no one ever said Enlish had to be logical. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-rushmore-meh/478204.md?page=2)