State historian Doane Robinson's idea of a mountain carving to bring tourists to the Black Hills met with both skepticism and enthusiasm.

Sculptor Gutzon Borghum transformed Robinson's tourist attractions into a memorial to the ideals of democracy.

The four American presidents carved into the granite of Mt Rushmore were chosen by the sculptor to commemorate the founding, growth, preservation and development of the U.S. They symbolize the principles of liberty and freedom on which the nation was founded.

A. Lincoln signifies the permanent union of the States and equality for all citizens. 

In 1939, Chief Standing Bear wrote to M. Ziolkowski, asking him to "carve us a mountain so that the White People will know that the Red Men had great heroes also."

"Crazy Horse is to be carved as a memorial to the spirit of Crazy Horse to his people. With his left hand thrown out pointing in answer to the derisive question of a white man : "My lands are where my dead lie buried." - 1877.