Mount Rushmore National Memorial Quarter
Denver Mint
Issue Date: November 4, 2013
Issue Quantity: 272,400,000
Mount Rushmore National Memorial Quarter Design Elements: Workers adding final details to Thomas Jefferson's face
South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson came up with the ... more
Mount Rushmore National Memorial Quarter
Denver Mint
Issue Date: November 4, 2013
Issue Quantity: 272,400,000
Mount Rushmore National Memorial Quarter Design Elements: Workers adding final details to Thomas Jefferson's face
South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson came up with the idea for Mount Rushmore after learning about Stone Mountain. Located in Georgia, Stone Mountain has the image of prominent Confederate figures – Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis. Robinson felt a similar attraction would help boost South Dakota’s tourism.
Robinson gained the support of Senator (and former South Dakota governor) Peter Norbeck. He also invited sculptor Gutzon Borglum to view the proposed site. Upon seeing the grand mountain, Borglum proclaimed, “America will march along that skyline.”
The idea was presented to Congress and President Calvin Coolidge. Borglum had a simple proposal for such a grand idea: “The purpose of the memorial is to communicate the founding, expansion, preservation, and unification of the United States with colossal statues of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.”
The plan was not immune to the politics of the day – along with Washington, Coolidge (a Republican) insisted that two Republicans and one Democrat be displayed. In 1937, a proposal was made to add Susan B. Anthony’s image for her crucial role in women gaining the right to vote. It was ultimately decided to finish the project as first proposed.
Construction began in 1927 and continued until 1941. Washington’s face was dedicated in 1934, Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937, and Roosevelt in 1939. The original plan was for the four Presidents to be shown from head to waist, but funding ran out before it could be completed. Borglum died in March 1941, and his son – named Lincoln, after Gutzon’s favorite President – completed the work.
The final result was larger than life – and big enough to need a mountain! It’s a stirring tribute that shows just how important these men were to American history.
Less 
