Sunday, July 05, 2020
Jonah LeRoy "Doane" Robinson, State Historian of South Dakota and Mount Rushmore's 4 Presidents
Nadene Goldfoot
Wanting to know more about how Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt were selected to have their faces carved out at Mt. Rushmore, I did a little easy reading.
"Mount Rushmore National Memorial is centered on a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota, United States. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum (b:1867 d: 1941) created the sculpture's design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son Lincoln Borglum. His own parents were Danish immigrants. His father had married 2 sisters, all 3 being Mormons. The sculpture features the 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), as recommended by Borglum.
John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American sculptor who in the course of a successful career aligned himself at one time with the Ku Klux Klan. He is most commonly associated with his creation of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota. His sculptural work was associated with his belief in white supremacy. The son of polygamist Mormons from Idaho, Borglum had no ties to the Confederacy, but he had white supremacist leanings. In letters he fretted about a 'mongrel horde' overrunning the 'Nordic' purity of the West". After selecting these 4 presidents, let's hope his attitude had changed. It must have.
South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with conceiving the idea of carving the likenesses of noted figures into the mountains of the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the region. His initial idea was to sculpt the Needles (mountains there) ; however, Gutzon Borglum rejected the Needles because of the poor quality of the granite and strong opposition from the Lakota (Sioux), who consider the Black Hills to be sacred ground; it was originally included in the Great Sioux Reservation. The United States broke up the territory after gold was discovered in the Black Hills. The mountain into which it was carved is known to the Lakota Sioux as Six Grandfathers.
The four presidents were chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation, respectively. The memorial park covers 1,278.45 acres (2.00 sq mi; 5.17 km2) and the actual mountain has an elevation of 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.
The presidents reflect the thinking of their generation. They are humans who rose high enough to be elected by Americans of their own period.
1. George Washington was our 1st president from 1789 to 1797. He was a Federalist from Virginia. You only have to watch Netflicks' TURN to see today's view of George, and I grew up knowing he had wooden teeth as false teeth, not human teeth from some corpse. He chopped down his father's cherry tree and when called on it, confessed like a little man should. He was our generation's role model with that honesty. In his honor we have the Washington Monument. It's a marble obelisk 555 feet tall.
"Washington led the colonists in the American Revolutionary War to win independence from Great Britain. He was the father of the new country and laid the foundation of American democracy. Because of his importance, Borglum chose Washington to be the most prominent figure on the mountain and represent the birth of the United States. "The preservation of the sacred fire of Liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." George Washington."
2. Thomas Jefferson was our 3rd president from 1801 to 1809. He was a Democrat-Republican from Virginia. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, a document which inspires democracies around the world. He also purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 which doubled the size of our country, adding all or part of fifteen present-day states. Gutzon Borglum chose Jefferson to represent the growth of the United States.
"We act not for ourselves but for the whole human race. The event of our experiment is to show whether man can be trusted with self - government." Thomas Jefferson
3. Abe Lincoln was our 16th president from 1861 to 1865. He was a Republican from Illinois. He freed all slaves in the USA and almost died himself after doing it as these were the last 4 years of his life. The stress of a divided nation was overwhelming knowing he had caused the CIVIL WAR. It was the right decision, of course. Britain had beat us to it, but then maybe we started later, or maybe not. We did have Britain as our example of getting cheap labor, though. He was also our tallest president at 76 inches or 6'4" or 193 cms. To honor him, we have the Lincoln Memorial. It is a building with 36 columns around it. Each one symbolizes each state in the union that exists at the time of his death on April 15, 1865. The Civil War ended April 9, 1865. The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865, fought between northern states loyal to the Union and southern states that had seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America.
Lincoln held the nation together during its greatest trial, the Civil War. Lincoln believed his most sacred duty was the preservation of the union. It was his firm conviction that slavery must be abolished. Gutzon Borglum chose Lincoln to represent the preservation of the United States. "I leave you hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal." Abraham Lincoln
4. Theodore Roosevelt was our 26th president from 1901 to 1909. He was a Republican from New York. Roosevelt provided leadership when America experienced rapid economic growth as it entered the 20th Century. He was instrumental in negotiating the construction of the Panama Canal, linking the east and the west. He was known as the "trust buster" for his work to end large corporate monopolies and ensure the rights of the common working man. Borglum chose Roosevelt to represent the development of the United States.
"The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight - that he shall not be a mere passenger." Theodore Roosevelt He was also the ancestor of our 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They had remarkable genes.
resource: https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/historyculture/why-these-four-presidents.htm
Presidential placemat from NuVenture Creations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutzon_Borglum
"Mount Rushmore National Memorial is centered on a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota, United States. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum (b:1867 d: 1941) created the sculpture's design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son Lincoln Borglum. His own parents were Danish immigrants. His father had married 2 sisters, all 3 being Mormons. The sculpture features the 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), as recommended by Borglum.
John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American sculptor who in the course of a successful career aligned himself at one time with the Ku Klux Klan. He is most commonly associated with his creation of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota. His sculptural work was associated with his belief in white supremacy. The son of polygamist Mormons from Idaho, Borglum had no ties to the Confederacy, but he had white supremacist leanings. In letters he fretted about a 'mongrel horde' overrunning the 'Nordic' purity of the West". After selecting these 4 presidents, let's hope his attitude had changed. It must have.
 |
| Jonah LeRoy "Doane" Robinson was a state historian of South Dakota. He is known for conceiving of the idea for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills, which he believed would stimulate tourism to the area. Born October 19, 1856 in Sparta, Wisconsin, he died November 27, 1946 in Pierre, South Dakota. He's not on any of my Robinson trees, but it was close. My George Robinson (his father), was born in Vermont. The date was a close one. That's the way it goes with the Robinson lines. |
The four presidents were chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation, respectively. The memorial park covers 1,278.45 acres (2.00 sq mi; 5.17 km2) and the actual mountain has an elevation of 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.
The presidents reflect the thinking of their generation. They are humans who rose high enough to be elected by Americans of their own period.
1. George Washington was our 1st president from 1789 to 1797. He was a Federalist from Virginia. You only have to watch Netflicks' TURN to see today's view of George, and I grew up knowing he had wooden teeth as false teeth, not human teeth from some corpse. He chopped down his father's cherry tree and when called on it, confessed like a little man should. He was our generation's role model with that honesty. In his honor we have the Washington Monument. It's a marble obelisk 555 feet tall.
"Washington led the colonists in the American Revolutionary War to win independence from Great Britain. He was the father of the new country and laid the foundation of American democracy. Because of his importance, Borglum chose Washington to be the most prominent figure on the mountain and represent the birth of the United States. "The preservation of the sacred fire of Liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." George Washington."
2. Thomas Jefferson was our 3rd president from 1801 to 1809. He was a Democrat-Republican from Virginia. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, a document which inspires democracies around the world. He also purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 which doubled the size of our country, adding all or part of fifteen present-day states. Gutzon Borglum chose Jefferson to represent the growth of the United States.
"We act not for ourselves but for the whole human race. The event of our experiment is to show whether man can be trusted with self - government." Thomas Jefferson
3. Abe Lincoln was our 16th president from 1861 to 1865. He was a Republican from Illinois. He freed all slaves in the USA and almost died himself after doing it as these were the last 4 years of his life. The stress of a divided nation was overwhelming knowing he had caused the CIVIL WAR. It was the right decision, of course. Britain had beat us to it, but then maybe we started later, or maybe not. We did have Britain as our example of getting cheap labor, though. He was also our tallest president at 76 inches or 6'4" or 193 cms. To honor him, we have the Lincoln Memorial. It is a building with 36 columns around it. Each one symbolizes each state in the union that exists at the time of his death on April 15, 1865. The Civil War ended April 9, 1865. The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865, fought between northern states loyal to the Union and southern states that had seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America.
Lincoln held the nation together during its greatest trial, the Civil War. Lincoln believed his most sacred duty was the preservation of the union. It was his firm conviction that slavery must be abolished. Gutzon Borglum chose Lincoln to represent the preservation of the United States. "I leave you hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal." Abraham Lincoln
4. Theodore Roosevelt was our 26th president from 1901 to 1909. He was a Republican from New York. Roosevelt provided leadership when America experienced rapid economic growth as it entered the 20th Century. He was instrumental in negotiating the construction of the Panama Canal, linking the east and the west. He was known as the "trust buster" for his work to end large corporate monopolies and ensure the rights of the common working man. Borglum chose Roosevelt to represent the development of the United States.
"The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight - that he shall not be a mere passenger." Theodore Roosevelt He was also the ancestor of our 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They had remarkable genes.
resource: https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/historyculture/why-these-four-presidents.htm
Presidential placemat from NuVenture Creations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutzon_Borglum
Labels: Abe Lincoln, George Washington, John Borglum, Jonah Doane Robinson, Mt. Rushmore, presidents, South Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt, Thmas Jefferson
