You’ve seen the photos a thousand times. Four massive granite faces staring out over the Black Hills of South Dakota. It’s the ultimate American postcard. But honestly, if you ask the average person to list the names on Mount Rushmore, they usually stumble after the first two. Most people get Washington and Lincoln easily. Then things get a little fuzzy. Was it Hamilton? No, he’s on the money but not the mountain.
The four presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
That’s the "who." But the "why" is where it gets weird. Most people assume these were just the four "best" presidents or the most popular ones at the time. That’s not actually true. The sculptor, a guy named Gutzon Borglum, didn't pick them because they were his favorites. He picked them because they represented what he called the "four stages of the United States." It was a very specific, almost theatrical vision.
The Four Names and What They Actually Stand For
Borglum wasn't just carving faces; he was carving a narrative. He wanted to tell the story of a nation through these specific men.
- George Washington (The Birth): This one is a no-brainer. As the first president, he represents the literal foundation of the country. Without him, there is no mountain.
- Thomas Jefferson (The Expansion): Jefferson is there because he bought a massive chunk of land from France—the Louisiana Purchase. He basically doubled the size of the country overnight.
- Abraham Lincoln (The Preservation): He held the whole thing together during the Civil War. Borglum saw him as the reason the United States still existed as a single unit.
- Theodore Roosevelt (The Development): This was the controversial choice at the time. Roosevelt had only been dead for a few years when construction started. But Borglum loved him because of the Panama Canal and his focus on making the U.S. a global power.
It’s kind of funny—the original idea for the mountain didn't even involve presidents. A local historian named Doane Robinson wanted to carve Western heroes like Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Red Cloud. He wanted a tourist trap to bring people to South Dakota. Borglum, being a bit of an ego-maniac, told him that Western heroes were too "regional." He wanted something that felt like a national shrine.
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The Names That Almost Were (and the One That Was Forgotten)
There is a huge misconception that the mountain is "finished." It’s not. If you look closely at the base of the mountain, you’ll see piles of granite "talus" or rock debris. That’s because the project was abruptly cut off in 1941.
Did you know there was a push for a fifth face? In the late 1930s, there was a massive campaign to add Susan B. Anthony to the mountain. A bill was even introduced in Congress. It actually had a fair amount of support until the money ran out and World War II loomed on the horizon.
There was also a secret room. Behind Lincoln’s head, Borglum started blasting out a "Hall of Records." He wanted to store the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution there, along with the names of famous Americans. It was going to be a massive vault with a bronze door. Today, it’s just a rough-cut cavern that’s totally off-limits to the public.
A Mountain of Controversy
We can't talk about the names on Mount Rushmore without talking about the land itself. The Lakota Sioux call this mountain Six Grandfathers. To them, the carving isn't a "Shrine of Democracy." It’s a desecration of sacred ground.
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The Black Hills were promised to the Sioux "in perpetuity" by the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. Then gold was found. The U.S. government took the land back, and decades later, a white sculptor showed up and dynamited the faces of four white leaders into the rock.
That tension is still very much alive. If you visit, you’ll likely hear about the Crazy Horse Memorial just down the road. It’s an even larger mountain carving, started in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski at the request of Lakota elders. It’s meant to provide a counter-narrative to the four presidents.
Why Theodore Roosevelt?
People still argue about Teddy. Critics in the 1920s thought Borglum was just playing favorites because he knew Roosevelt personally. But Borglum insisted that Roosevelt’s role in building the Panama Canal and protecting the wilderness was the "development" phase of the American story.
Interestingly, the faces aren't even where they were supposed to be. Thomas Jefferson was originally being carved to the right of Washington. After 18 months of drilling, they realized the rock was too weak. They had to blast his face off the mountain and start over on Washington’s left side. You can still see the "scar" of the original Jefferson if the light hits the mountain just right in the afternoon.
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Planning Your Visit: Actionable Insights
If you’re heading out to see these names in person, don't just stand on the main viewing platform with a thousand other people.
- Hit the Presidential Trail: It’s a 0.6-mile loop that takes you right to the base of the mountain. You get a much better sense of the scale (Washington’s nose is 21 feet long, for context).
- Go at Night: The lighting ceremony is actually pretty moving, and the crowds thin out significantly.
- Visit the Sculptor’s Studio: This is where you can see the original 1/12th scale model. You’ll notice the presidents were supposed to have torsos and hands. They look like they’re wearing robes in the model, which feels very "Ancient Greece."
- Check the "Secret" View: There’s a pull-off on Highway 244 (the Iron Mountain Road) where you can see George Washington’s profile through a tunnel. It’s the best photo op in the park.
Mount Rushmore is more than just four names in the dirt. It’s a unfinished monument to a specific, 1920s-era vision of American history—one that is both awe-inspiring in its scale and deeply complicated in its legacy.
Next Steps for Your Trip:
Download the National Park Service app before you enter the Black Hills, as cell service is notoriously spotty near the monument. Make sure to schedule at least two hours for the site, plus another three if you plan to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial on the same day to get the full historical perspective.