Uploaded June 2019 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago
From its creation, to some secrets that aren't well known, join me as we discover 12 surprising facts about Mount Rushmore!
12. The Reason For The Presidents
The United States has many monuments dedicated to its many Presidents who have made true history over the years. Such as the Washington and Lincoln Memorials in Washington DC, the nations' capital. So many people sometimes ask why George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were selected of the dozens of Presidents to be put on the mountain that is Mount Rushmore.
The simple and honest answer is that when you combine what these four did, they helped make a vast majority of what the United States is today in one form or another.
George Washington was the man who helped lead the Continental Army against the British in the Revolutionary War, and when he was President, he was a symbol for the nations' birth. So thus "Creation" earned him his spot.
Thomas Jefferson also played a part in America's Independence. And when he was the 3rd President of the United States, he went and made a deal in 1803 with France's leader Napoleon to get the Louisiana Purchase, which gave the United States double the land it had before. To his name is "Expansion" associated with.
Abraham Lincoln had the dubious honor of being President during the first and only Civil War in history of the United States. Though his hard work and dedication and faith in America, the North was able to beat the South and be a singular country once again. So thus "Unification" was Lincoln's ticket to the mountain.
And finally, Theodore Roosevelt did a lot of things during his time as President, including getting a Nobel Peace Prize by helping bring peace to another war (Russia and Japan). But he also realized that to help our nation grow, we must preserve nature. So he helped set up nature reserves all over the country that continue to this day. He helped the "Preservation" of America.
So as you can see, these four men, two of whom never met the others, all helped shape America to what it is today, and for that, we are all grateful. And to that end, they earned their places on Mount Rushmore.
11. The Secret Room
When it comes to a monument like Mount Rushmore, especially in terms of the sheer size of it, you almost have to wonder if there was an "ulterior motive" for making it. And throughout the history of it there have been plenty of tall tales about what's "actually" within the massive mountain. Including ancient Native American gold as the movie National Treasure Book Of Secrets said.
However, in truth, there is a secret in the mountain, but it's a room.
The room itself is within Abe Lincoln's section of the place, and it was designed by the actual sculptor of Mount Rushmore, which actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The sculptor made a secret room with a rather beautiful purpose, for he wanted to contain the entire history of America within this room. Likely so that if anything happened to the country, these artifacts would likely remain. The sculptor had parts of the room dedicated to the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and more. So this isn't a "conspiracy room", it's actually one of preservation, Teddy would be proud.
He died before being able to complete the History of America, but others took up the cause within the room. It's actually unknown just how much is within the room now, as well as what other documents might be in there. Which brings us to the other part of the "secret" room...it's going to stay a secret in terms of its true look and contents.
There are no tours of the room, and since the door is actually on Abe Lincoln's face, you can't just go up there and get in. So while its purpose isn't mysterious, what actually remains in there now most definitely is.
A true secret room many decades after it was built to be anything but.
10. Why The Black Hills?
Let's talk about location for a bit, shall we? When you think of some of the biggest and most popular monuments in the world, you associate them with big cities or areas. The Space Needles is in Seattle, Washington. The Washington and Lincoln Memorials are in Washington D.C., the Empire State Building is in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge is in San Francisco and so on and so forth. But Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota...not exactly a "big state", or a popular state in terms of how many people live there (not even one million at last census).
So why was this landmark put in the Black Hills of South Dakota? Simple, in 1923 a historian named Doane Robinson wanted to BRING more people to South Dakota. And he felt that a monument, especially one that would symbolize the country via its Presidents, would attract a lot of folks.
Sure enough, over 3 million people a year go and visit Mount Rushmore. Nearly 4 times as many people go see than the monument than those who actually live in the state.
Tourism, it's a fuel for just about anything.
From its creation, to some secrets that aren't well known, join me as we discover 12 surprising facts about Mount Rushmore!
12. The Reason For The Presidents
The United States has many monuments dedicated to its many Presidents who have made true history over the years. Such as the Washington and Lincoln Memorials in Washington DC, the nations' capital. So many people sometimes ask why George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were selected of the dozens of Presidents to be put on the mountain that is Mount Rushmore.
The simple and honest answer is that when you combine what these four did, they helped make a vast majority of what the United States is today in one form or another.
George Washington was the man who helped lead the Continental Army against the British in the Revolutionary War, and when he was President, he was a symbol for the nations' birth. So thus "Creation" earned him his spot.
Thomas Jefferson also played a part in America's Independence. And when he was the 3rd President of the United States, he went and made a deal in 1803 with France's leader Napoleon to get the Louisiana Purchase, which gave the United States double the land it had before. To his name is "Expansion" associated with.
Abraham Lincoln had the dubious honor of being President during the first and only Civil War in history of the United States. Though his hard work and dedication and faith in America, the North was able to beat the South and be a singular country once again. So thus "Unification" was Lincoln's ticket to the mountain.
And finally, Theodore Roosevelt did a lot of things during his time as President, including getting a Nobel Peace Prize by helping bring peace to another war (Russia and Japan). But he also realized that to help our nation grow, we must preserve nature. So he helped set up nature reserves all over the country that continue to this day. He helped the "Preservation" of America.
So as you can see, these four men, two of whom never met the others, all helped shape America to what it is today, and for that, we are all grateful. And to that end, they earned their places on Mount Rushmore.
11. The Secret Room
When it comes to a monument like Mount Rushmore, especially in terms of the sheer size of it, you almost have to wonder if there was an "ulterior motive" for making it. And throughout the history of it there have been plenty of tall tales about what's "actually" within the massive mountain. Including ancient Native American gold as the movie National Treasure Book Of Secrets said.
However, in truth, there is a secret in the mountain, but it's a room.
The room itself is within Abe Lincoln's section of the place, and it was designed by the actual sculptor of Mount Rushmore, which actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The sculptor made a secret room with a rather beautiful purpose, for he wanted to contain the entire history of America within this room. Likely so that if anything happened to the country, these artifacts would likely remain. The sculptor had parts of the room dedicated to the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and more. So this isn't a "conspiracy room", it's actually one of preservation, Teddy would be proud.
He died before being able to complete the History of America, but others took up the cause within the room. It's actually unknown just how much is within the room now, as well as what other documents might be in there. Which brings us to the other part of the "secret" room...it's going to stay a secret in terms of its true look and contents.
There are no tours of the room, and since the door is actually on Abe Lincoln's face, you can't just go up there and get in. So while its purpose isn't mysterious, what actually remains in there now most definitely is.
A true secret room many decades after it was built to be anything but.
10. Why The Black Hills?
Let's talk about location for a bit, shall we? When you think of some of the biggest and most popular monuments in the world, you associate them with big cities or areas. The Space Needles is in Seattle, Washington. The Washington and Lincoln Memorials are in Washington D.C., the Empire State Building is in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge is in San Francisco and so on and so forth. But Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota...not exactly a "big state", or a popular state in terms of how many people live there (not even one million at last census).
So why was this landmark put in the Black Hills of South Dakota? Simple, in 1923 a historian named Doane Robinson wanted to BRING more people to South Dakota. And he felt that a monument, especially one that would symbolize the country via its Presidents, would attract a lot of folks.
Sure enough, over 3 million people a year go and visit Mount Rushmore. Nearly 4 times as many people go see than the monument than those who actually live in the state.
Tourism, it's a fuel for just about anything.
