Which Memorial: Mount Rushmore or Crazy Horse? Quiz

Answer: Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore bears the images of four American Presidents. According to the National Park Service, those four presidents were chosen by the site's creator from his own perspective.

George Washington was chosen because he is the Father of Our Country. Not only did he lead Americans during the Revolutionary War, he also led the country as the very foundations of liberty and democracy were established. It was determined that Washington was the most important of the figures, and, for that reason, his image takes center stage.

Thomas Jefferson was not only the creator of the Declaration of Independence, he was also the president who doubled the size of the United States when he purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. Because Abraham Lincoln held the Union together during the Civil War and abolished slavery, his image was also placed on Mount Rushmore. Theodore Roosevelt was chosen because of his success with the economic development of the United States, including the building of the Panama Canal and ending corporate monopolies.

Did you know that the original plan for Mount Rushmore was to carve images of people from the Old West, such as Lewis and Clark and Red Cloud?

Answer: Mount Rushmore

It was relatively easy to gain permission for the use of federal land for the building of the monument, and the bills were signed into law on March 5, 1925. Finding funding for the project took a bit longer, as there just wasn't very much coming in from private donors. That changed, however, after President Calvin Coolidge was invited to the dedication ceremony in August 1927. He loved the area, and over time even established a residence there as one of his summer White Houses. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act, signed by Coolidge, provided needed funding, and carving on the mountain began in 1927.

Did you know that Doane Robinson is known as the "Father of Mountain Rushmore"? He was the Secretary of the South Dakota State Historical Society who came up with the idea after learning about the Shrine to the Confederacy project at Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Answer: Mount Rushmore

According to the National Park Service, it took a little over fourteen years and 400 workers to complete the project on Mount Rushmore. Dynamite was used to break up some of the rock, but a process called honeycombing was also important. Holes would be drilled close together, which would allow some removal of the rock by hand. There was a separate dedication service for each face as it was completed - Washington in 1934, Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937, and Roosevelt in 1939.

Did you know that as work continued, there were plans that were presented for the addition of other faces? Susan B. Anthony's name was brought up in Congress in 1937, however, a bill was passed that stated that only the heads that were started would be found on the mountain.

Answer: Mount Rushmore

The Mount Rushmore project was taken over by the National Park Service in 1933 when President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6166. The increase in funding that resulted helped to improve the project's infrastructure, and focused on the completion of the images rather than some of the other side projects that Borglum hoped to create. He passed away in 1941 before the project was declared to be completed on October 31.

Did you know that no workers died during the construction of Mount Rushmore? The carving was done by a team of 400 men; many were miners who had experience with using explosives and jackhammers. An estimated 90% of the sculpting was done using dynamite, with more than 450,000 tons of rock removed.

Answer: Mount Rushmore

Gutzon Borglum, born in Idaho in 1867, had little training as a sculptor until he moved to Paris when he was in his twenties. He studied there at the Julien Academy and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and also spent time in England and Spain. After he returned to the United States in 1901, Borglum's creations began to create quite a stir.

In 1908 he completed a sculpture of the head of Abraham Lincoln from a six-ton block of marble that was shown at the White House for a time. The same year he won a competition after sculpting a statue of Philip Sheridan; from 1915-1925 he was subsequently involved in the planning of the Stone Mountain carving in Georgia, which he eventually left due to differences with project directors. That was when he was asked to come to South Dakota to work on the Mount Rushmore project. Borglum began work on the project in 1927, and passed away in 1941 before its completion. The project was then completed by his son, Lincoln.

Did you know that Borglum planned to make a room behind President Lincoln's image on Mount Rushmore? He called it the Hall of Records, and hoped that it would one day contain all the information about the building of the great monument. Maybe one day it would even house important documents about the history of the United States, such as the Bill of Rights and the Constitution! After his death, it was decided that the completion of the room would be too expensive, and all efforts were focused on the completion of the sculptures on the mountain. In 1998 his family was allowed to place information in the room, and it was sealed.

Answer: Crazy Horse

After construction began on Mount Rushmore, there was a movement among Native Americans who lived in South Dakota to honor their people. A Lakota elder, Chief Henry Running Bear, was the driving force behind the movement; in the beginning his hope was that a Native American image would join the four president on Mount Rushmore.

When it became apparent that there was no interest in that plan, Chief Running Bear began to look for another alternative. He wrote to the U.S. Department of Interior and offered to exchange his own land holding for a mountain on which to carve the image of Crazy Horse. Over time he gained a permit to use Thunderhead Mountain for his proposed project.

Did you know that Crazy Horse never allowed his photograph to be taken? The image on the mountain was made based upon descriptions of people who knew him. Luther Running Bear, Chief Henry's older brother, once said in reference to the Mount Rushmore project that it would be "most fitting to have the face of Crazy Horse sculpted there. Crazy Horse is the real patriot of the Sioux tribe and the only one worthy to place by the side of Washington and Lincoln." While Crazy Horse is viewed as being a great leader of the Sioux people, the film shown at the memorial's visitor center makes it clear that the image on the mountain represents all Native Americans.

Answer: Crazy Horse

The United States government wanted to become more involved in the Crazy Horse Memorial, however, Chief Standing Bear was adamant that no federal or state money would be used for the project. He hoped there would be enough interest from private donors. The Memorial Foundation oversees funding for the project. Money is raised from charging admittance fees into the complex, selling food and souvenirs on site, and accepting gifts by private donors.

Did you know that visitors are only allowed to walk to the top of the memorial twice a year? An event called the Crazy Horse Memorial's Volksmarch, a six-mile round trip walk, is typically held in June and September. If you can't make it then, there are occasionally bus rides to the base offered for a nominal fee when the working schedule permits.

Answer: Crazy Horse

Construction on the Crazy Horse Memorial began in 1948; at the time, the hope was that it would be completed in thirty years. After Korczak died, however, Ruth decided to change his initial plan, which was to finish the sculpture of the horse first. She believed that more people would be drawn to the site if Crazy Horse's face was clearly visible. So the focus of the project changed.

The completed face was dedicated in 1998. Since then, meticulous planning has led to work on Crazy Horse's arm and his horse. While at one time it was thought that the top of the horse's head might be completed by 2037, there are really too many factors that could cause a stall in the memorial's construction.

Did you know that the images on Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet tall? In comparison, Crazy Horse's head alone is 87 feet tall. When completed, the entire sculpture, including Crazy Horse and his horse, should stand 563 feet (172 m) tall and 641 feet (195 m) high! It may very well turn out to be the tallest sculpture in the world!

Answer: Crazy Horse

Born in Boston, Korczak Ziolkowski was orphaned at an early age. As a young man he worked his way through Rindge Technical School, and afterwards was apprenticed to a ship maker. Interestingly, he had no formal training as a sculptor; he began carving wood, and then moved on to marble by the time he was twenty-four.

After one of his sculptures won first prize at the New York World's Fair in 1939, Ziokowski began to receive correspondence from Chief Running Bear, who told him, "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too". Ziokowski's service in the U.S. Army during World War II interrupted further talks, but he eventually agreed to take on the project. Construction began on the memorial in 1948.

Did you know that Korczak Ziolkowski was hired as an assistant to Gutzon Borglum on the Mount Rushmore project beginning in 1939? He left the project soon after it began over differences of opinion. In particular, he had expected to be the primary assistant, and that job was given to Borglum's son.

Answer: Crazy Horse

The Indian University of North America began in 2010 with a summer project that was held at the Crazy Horse Memorial. Supported by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, the university offers Native American students who plan to work toward a degree the opportunity to apply for scholarships at schools in South Dakota and beyond.

Did you know that Ziokowski married one of the volunteers, Ruth, at the site in 1950? Together they had ten children - five boys who would help with construction and five girls who would help with the tourists. Ruth continued to oversee work at the memorial after his death in 1982; she passed away in 2014. Members of their family continue to be involved with the project.