Episode 34: Mt. Rushmore

It shall, henceforth, be called The Six Grandfathers (as it should be).

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Hey everybody, I'm Shannon, and welcome to the They Hid What Podcast. On this podcast, I explore parts of history that have been kept hidden or swept under the rug. In this week's episode, I will be discussing Mount Rushmore. Let's get into it. Tell a truth story of the birth, growth, development, and preservation of this country. From the history of the first inhabitants to the diversity of America today, Mount Rushmore brings visitors face to face with the rich heritage we all share. End quote. Too bad that's all a lie. What started me down this path was a meme I saw online. It said something along the lines of, originally called the Six Grandfathers, part of the sacred Black Hills of the Lakota tribe, U.S. government seized the land illegally in 1877 after gold was discovered. President Grant secretly ordered the army not to protect local tribes. Bounty hunters collected up to $300 for each Native American killed. Presidents' faces were carved in the 1920s, funded in part by the KKK. Was I surprised by these statements? Not really, but I know not to believe everything I see online, and so I started digging. To start, the original rock formation was called the Six Grandfathers and was part of the sacred Black Hills of the Lakota tribe. The Lakota tribe is one of three subcultures of the Sioux people. Their current lands are North and South Dakota and Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada. There are seven bands or sub tribes of the Lakota. Where Mount Rushmore currently sits and the surrounding Black Hills are all considered sacred by the Plains Indians. This includes Arapaho, Cheyenne, and the Lakota Sioux. The land was used for centuries as a place to pray and gather food, building materials, and medicine. The Lakota called the Granite Mountain Six Grandfathers because it symbolized ancestral deities personified by the six directions: North, South, East, West, Above, and below. Then came the Sioux Wars. These were battles fought between the Sioux people and the U.S. government over land ownership and broken agreements. The first was fought between 1854 and 1856. The first treaty was signed in 1851, and the states almost immediately violated it when American miners and settlers began immigrating into Indian territory. The United States Army had further broken the 1851 treaty when it initiated an armed invasion that resulted in the Gratan massacre in 1854, which sparked the first Sioux War. There's a lot happening here, I know. In 1868, treaty negotiations began again to replace the 1851 treaty, which had proven entirely ineffective. This became the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which stated that the U.S. government granted exclusive use of all of the Black Hills, including six grandfathers, to the Sioux, three bands of the Lakota people, Yanktonai, Dakota, and Arapaho Nation. This treaty established the Great Sioux Reservation, including ownership of the Black Hills, and set aside additional lands as, quote, unceded Indian territory in the areas of South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and possibly Montana. The treaty established that the U.S. government would hold authority to punish not only white settlers who committed crimes against the tribes, but also tribe members who committed crimes and were to be delivered to the government rather than face charges in tribal courts. It stipulated that the government would abandon forts along the Bozeman Trail and included a number of provisions designed to encourage a transition to farming and to move the tribes, quote, closer to the white man's way of life. American General Custer summited Black Elk Peak in 1874 during the Black Hills Expedition, which triggered the Black Hills Gold Rush and Great Sioux War of 1876. But once gold was discovered in 1877, the settlers took the land back illegally. The U.S. broke the Treaty of Fort Laramie and asserted control over the area, leading to an influx of settlers and prospectors. Are we at all surprised? Among these prospectors was New York mining promoter James Wilson, who organized the Harney Peak Tin Company and hired New York attorney Charles E. Rushmore to visit the Black Hills and confirm the company's land claims. Rushmore visited the area on three or four trips from 1884 to 1885. During one of these visits, Rushmore was traveling near the base of the peak of the six grandfathers and asked his guide, Bill Chalice, the mountain's name. Chalice replied that the mountain did not have a name, but that it would henceforth be named after Rushmore. By the 1920s, South Dakota had become a state and was a popular tourist destination. People would come to visit the Black Hills National Forest, Wind Cave National Park, and Needles Highway. In 1923, the Secretary of South Dakota State Historical Society, Doan Robinson, learned that the Shrine to the Confederacy, which was a project to carve the likenesses of Confederate generals into the side of Stone Mountain in Georgia, that project had been underway since 1915. Hoping to boost tourism to South Dakota, Robinson began promoting the idea of a similar monument in the Black Hills. Now, who is this Mr. Robinson? Jonah LeRoy Robinson, who went by DONE because this is what his sister called him when she had trouble pronouncing Jonah, was the state historian of South Dakota. He was born in Sparta, Washington in 1856. He started out as a farmer in Minnesota, then became a lawyer and moved to Pierre, South Dakota to set up his practice. He took an interest in the local history and began to publish works on his findings. This is how he became appointed as the state historian. Okay, so Robinson wants to create a landmark for South Dakota. His idea was to have a sculpture depicting the Sioux Nation chief and other famous South Dakotans. Robinson was originally looking at an area in Black Hills called Needles, which was named for its large granite pillars. He introduced a bill to the state's legislature asking for permission to do this project and for funding. Many groups disliked the idea, including the Lakota people, or the Sioux, who considered the Black Hills to be sacred ground and thought that the sculpture would ruin the natural landscape. Jonah Robinson approached U.S. Senator Peter Norbeck for help with his proposed bill. Senator Norbeck had established Custer State Park when he was governor in 1919. Senator Norbeck and Congressman William Williamson of South Dakota introduced bills in early 1925 for permission to use federal land for the sculpture project. On its third attempt, the bill was signed into law on March 5th, 1925. This bill only approved the use of federal land for the project and stated that funding had to be found privately. Initially, Jonah Robinson asked sculptor Laredo Taft to take on his project, but Taft was sick and not interested. Next, Robinson looked at Gutsun Borglum. This charmer was a U.S. citizen born to Danish immigrants. He was a member of the Freemasons, which is a not-so-secret society that uses stonemasons' terminology to teach their lessons. Mr. Borglum was also, quote, deeply involved in Klan politics and would attend and would attend Klan rallies and serve on Klan committees. Did I say Klan? As in the notorious hate group, the Klu Klux Klan? Why, yes, I did. Our esteemed Wikipedia described them as, quote, an American Protestant-led Christian extremist, white supremacist, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction in the devastated South. Historians have characterized the Klan as America's first terrorist group, end quote. In 1915, Mr. Borglum was approached about what became the Stone Mountain Project. This was meant to be a memorial to the heroes of the Confederate States and was planned for Stone Mountain, Georgia. At this time in his life, Borglum was supportive of the Klan and very anti-immigrant, and this made the United Daughters of the Confederacy think he would be perfect for this job. The original idea was a 20-foot-high bust of General Robert E. Lee on Stone Mountain's 800-foot rock face. Vorglum thought this idea wasn't big enough. He thought the mountain should show a tableau of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson riding around the mountain, followed by a legion of artillery troops. The president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Helen Price, wrote to Vorglum in 1915 and requested he include a Klu Klux Klan altar in his plans. Helen wrote, quote, I feel it is due to the KKK that saved us from Negro domination and carpetbag rule, that it be immortalized in Stone Mountain. In 1915, there was a torchlighting ceremony on top of Stone Mountain that included Borglum and members of the clan. Carving of Stone Mountain officially began on June 23rd, 1923, with Borglum making the first cut. While at work on this project, Borglum's connections with the clan were strengthened as they became major financial backers of the project. Robert E. Lee's head was the first piece to be completed and was unveiled on Lee's birthday on January 19, 1924. As time went on, Borglum's attitude got the better of him. He was described by the committee officials as domineering, a perfectionist, and an authoritarian, and tensions got so high that in March 1925, Borglum smashed all of his models of the project and left Georgia. None of his work remains, as it was all blasted off the mountain face when Borglum's replacement arrived. Some believe that all this came to be because of the involvement of the clan and their involvement in the project. Borglum stated that he was never a member or a knight of the party. However, there is a letter on display from the clan Grand Dragon to Borglum that reads, quote, to my good friend Gutson Borglum, with the greatest respect. There are other pieces of correspondence between the two that show a deep racist connection in Nordic moral superiority and strict immigration policies, which I find as hypocritical as someone that is a child of immigrants and who sheltered members of the Czech Legion. Moving on. In September 1924, Jonah Robinson wrote to Borglum about his project for South Dakota. On September 24, 1924, Borglum went to South Dakota to meet with Robinson, and on March 7, 1925, there was a meeting between Senator Norbeck and Borglum. On Borglum's second meeting with Robinson, he recommended changing the location for the sculpture project from the needles to what they were calling Mount Rushmore. Borglum said he didn't like the location because of the soft rock and because it was attached to the Lakota Nation. Borglum was formally offered the project, but said he would have to wait to decide until the stone mountain dust settled. On October 14th, 1925, Borglum had made a second trip to South Dakota and declared Mount Rushmore would be the site of this grand sculpture project. He climbed Black Elk Peak while scouting alternative locations and reportedly said upon seeing Mount Rushmore, quote, America will march along that skyline. He chose Mount Rushmore, a grander location, partly because it faced southeast and enjoyed maximum exposure to sunlight. Now Borglum rejected Robinson's original plan of depicting individuals such as Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud, Sacachuea, John C. Fremont, and Crazy Horse. Borglum instead decided that the sculpture should have a larger national focus, and he selected four presidents representing different elements and areas of the United States history. The four presidential faces were said to be carved into the granite with the intention of symbolizing an accomplishment born, planned, and created in the minds and in the hands of Americans for Americans. Hold on to that thought. According to the Mount Rushmore website, the four presidents were selected as follows. George Washington, the first U.S. president. Washington led the colonists in the American Revolutionary War to win independence from Great Britain. He was the father of the new country and laid the foundation of American democracy. Because of his importance, Borglum chose Washington to be the most prominent feature figure on the mountain and represented the birth of the United States. Thomas Jefferson, third president. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, a document which inspires democracies around the world. He also purchased the Louisiana territory from France in 1803, which doubled the size of our country, adding all or part of 15 present-day states. Goodson Borglum chose Jefferson to represent the growth of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president. Roosevelt provided leadership when America experienced rapid economic growth as it entered the 20th century. He was instrumental in negotiating the construction of the Panama Canal, linking the East and the West. He was known as the Trust Buster for his work to end large corporate monopolies and ensure the rights of the common working man. Borglum chose Roosevelt to represent the development of the United States. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President. Lincoln held the nation together during its greatest trial, the Civil War. Lincoln believed his most sacred duty was the preservation of the Union. It was his firm conviction that slavery must be abolished. Goods on Borglum chose Lincoln to represent the preservation of the United States. Now, remember, the bill was passed for the project to take place on federal ground, but the funding needed to be found elsewhere. Private funding came slowly, but then Borglum invited President Calvin Coolidge to the dedication ceremony on August 10, 1927. It was here that President Coolidge promised federal funding. The carving of the sculpture began on October 4, 1927. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act, which authorized up to $250,000 in matching funds, was introduced to Congress in 1928 and signed into law by Coolidge on February 25th, 1929, just before leaving office. The 1929 presidential transition to Herbert Hoover delayed the funding until an initial federal match of $54,670.56 was acquired. Between October 4th, 1927 and October 34 and October 31st, 1941, Gutsan Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the massive 60-foot-high carvings of the United States presidents into the rock. As a fun little bit of, excuse me, what? The lead carver on this project was Luigi Del Bianco, an artisan and stonemason who immigrated to the U.S. from Italy. In 1933, the National Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its jurisdiction, and by July 4th, 1934, Washington's face had been completed and dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936 and Abraham Lincoln's on September 17, 1937. In 1937, a bill was introduced to Congress to add the head of civil rights leader Susan B. Anthony, but a rider was passed on the appropriations bill requiring federal funds be used to finish only those heads that had already been started at the time. So basically they said, yeah, that would be cool to add her, but we don't want to use the money to add another person. In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated, and in March 1941, Borglum died from an embolism, and his son Lincoln Borglum continued the project. The project was officially over in October 1941 and cost $989,992.32. Now for the backlash. Members of the American Indian Movement led an occupation of the monument in 1971, naming it Mount Crazy Horse. And Lakota Holyman John Fire Lame Deer planted a prayer staff on top of the mountain. Lame deer said that the staff formed a symbolic shroud over the president's faces, which shall remain dirty until the treaties concerning the Black Hills are fulfilled. In 2004, Gerald Baker was appointed superintendent of the park, the first and so far only Native American in that role. Baker stated that he will open up more avenues of interpretation and that the four presidents are, quote, only one avenue and only one focus. The Black Hills, where Mount Rushmore is situated, is the subject of a land claim by the Lakota people that both precedes the construction of the monument and is ongoing. The Treaty of Fort Laramie, which we talked about earlier, had granted the Black Hills to the Lakota in perpetuity, meaning forever. But the United States took the area from the tribe after the Great Sioux. War of 1876. The 1980 United States Supreme Court decision in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians ruled that the Sioux had not received just compensation for their land in the Black Hills. The court proposed $102 million as compensation for the loss of the Black Hills. However, the tribe has refused the settlement, arguing that this would amount to payment for land they never agreed to sell. Now, back to the meme that started it all. One, Mount Rushmore was originally called the Six Grandfathers and was part of the sacred Black Hills of the Lakota tribe. That is a fact. Two, U.S. government seized the land illegally after gold was discovered. Three, President Grant secretly ordered the army not to protect local tribes. Sort of. Under pressure from General Custer to negotiate mining rights to the land, Grant decided that the army would no longer enforce the Lakota's claim to the land, and if they didn't report to their reservations by a certain date, they would be considered hostile. Four, I didn't find anything about there being a $300 bounty for each Native American captured. I also didn't dive too deeply into the Lakota Wars, so it could be in there somewhere, but to tie it directly to the building of Mount Rushmore, I'm gonna say it's false. Five, the president's faces were carved and funded by the KKK. That's false. The project gained federal funding one year after it began. I think where the Klan is coming in is that people are getting mixed up that the sculpture that took on the project of Rushmore was a supporter of the Klan and a previous project was linked to them. So there you have it, Mount Rushmore. Faces of settlers on rock that didn't belong to them. Do your research, respect the natives as this is their land, and come back next time to see what else has been hidden.