Standing precariously on the massive stone face of Mount Rushmore on May 31, 1932, Superintendent Ben Lemaster and sculptor Gutzon Borglum appeared as tiny specks against the heavy weight of history. This up-close perspective reveals the immense human grit required to carve a monument out of raw mountain granite using jackhammers and dynamite. The workers on the scaffolding lived with the constant, teeth-rattling vibration of drills, the sharp scent of explosives, and the fine white dust that coated their clothes. Up close, the cold stone becomes a deeply personal testament to the ordinary laborers who braved dizzying heights to give their nation an enduring symbol of its founding ideals.
