Carved in Stone: Rushmore

Gutzon Borglum was America’s greatest patriotic sculptor. The year was 1928. Borglum began a “monumental” endeavor, which would result in one of the greatest patriotic landmarks on earth: Mt. Rushmore. Burgle stated, “I want somewhere in America on or near the Rockies, a few feet of stone that bears witness, carries the likenesses, the dates, and a word or two of the great things we accomplished as a nation.”

Borglum found a magnificent rock range in South Dakota, at the summit of the Black Hills. There he carved the likenesses of the heads of four of our nation’s great presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theordore Roosevelt. This massive monument pays tribute to four outstanding periods in our nation’s history.

George Washington, 1776, was the first president and founder of our Republic. He represents its revolutionary beginnings.

Thomas Jefferson, 1803, was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. This document represents the dawning of the democratic ideal. It encompasses everything we stand for as a nation.

Abraham Lincoln, 1865, is credited with preserving us as nation. He served as president during the Civil War and successfully reunited the north and south after the war.

The faces of these four men took on the symbolism of our preservation as a nation. The idea was originated by Doane Robinson who served as the North Dakota State Historian. Work commenced on October 4, 1927. During the next fourteen long years, which were riddled with funding problems, the monument was completed in 1941. Today Mount Rushmore is visited by millions of visitors a year and stands as a symbol of America and this great nation, the United States!

Washington, being our first president represents the BIRTH of our country..Jefferson symbolizes the EXPANSION of the nation, he is credited with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.Theodore Roosevelt represents the DEVELOPMENT of our country. He promoted construction of the Panama Canal. Lincoln embodies the PRESERVATION of the nation.

The Rocky Mountain Goat measures approximately 3 feet at the shoulder. The females average 2.5 feet at the shoulder. Most males weigh anywhere from 150 lbs. to 400 lbs.

The horns of the goat are 8 to 10 inches long. The Rocky Mountain Goat lifespan is approximately 18 years. The goat are very adaptable to different climates. They can live in wet or dry, and warm or cold environments. However, the populations seem to thrive most in wet, cold, rocky cliff regions.

Rocky mountain goats are found from the fjords of Alaska to the Alpine regions of the Rocky Mountains. They can also be found in dry canyons of Idaho and Montana.

Odocoileus hemionus

Mule Deer

The mule deer has 2 major subspecies: the Mule Deer, with tail white above, tipped with black; and the Black-tailed Deer, with tail black or brown above.

The Cervidae Family includes deer and their allies such as moose, elk, and caribou. Member of this family occupy a wide range of habitats, from arctic tundras to tropical forests, and can be found over most of the world. All have slender legs. Most are brown or gray in color, with white spots characterizing the young, and in a few species, the adults. In all but one genus of cervids, at least the males have antlers.

The Mule Deer weighs from 125 to 330 lbs.  It's tail is 50 - 85 inches long,  These Mule Deer have a gestation period of 195 - 212 days, and raise anywhere from 1 to 4 young.  The lifespan of the deer is 10 years in the wild.  It eats various vegetation. 

 Bighorn males are called rams.  These rams are famous for their large, curled horns.  The horns are a symbol of status and also serve as a weapon.  The clash of horns can be heard throughout the mountains as confrontations occur.  The rams battle for a very significant time before, sometimes many hours, until one ram submits and walks away. The animal's thick, bony skull usually prevents serious injury.

A Rocky Mountain bighorn ram's horns can weigh 30 pounds (14 kilograms)—more than all the bones in his body combined. Females (ewes) also have horns, but they are of smaller size.

Wild sheep live in social groups.  However, rams and ewes typically meet only to mate. Rams live in bachelor groups while females live in herds with other females.  The  and their young rams. Fall finds the arrival of mating.  Rams gather in larger groups and ram fighting escaltesWhen fall mating arrives, rams gather in larger groups and ram fighting escalates. Usually only stronger, older rams (with bigger horns) are able to mate.

In winter, bighorn herds move to lower-elevation mountain pastures. In all seasons, these animals eat available grass, seeds, and plants. They regurgitate their food to chew it as cud before swallowing it for final digestion.

Lambs are born each spring on high, secluded ledges protected from bighorn predators such as wolves, coyotes, and mountain lions—though not the golden eagles which target lambs. Young can walk soon after birth, and at one week old each lamb and its mother join others in a herd. Lambs are playful and independent, though their mothers nurse them occasionally for four to six months.