Mount Rushmore was completed 31 October 1941. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum had planned to carve the presidents down to their waists, but unexpectedly hard granite, looming war and lack of funds meant only the four heads were completed. Photo from 1936. [3707×2319]

The idea for Mount Rushmore came from South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, who hoped to boost state tourism with carvings of Wild West figures like Buffalo Bill Cody and Lewis & Clark. Borglum convinced him to switch to presidents to give the monument “a more national appeal.”

Borglum’s original design included full torsos and a vast “Hall of Records” behind Lincoln’s head; an 80-foot-deep chamber meant to hold copies of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and other U.S. documents for future generations. Work began, but was abandoned after Borglum’s death.

In 1998, the National Park Service finally installed a titanium vault containing enamel panels with those texts inside the unfinished hall.

I suppose some could argue that Mount Rushmore (Six Grandfathers/Black Hills) was already complete as it naturally was, but then defaced afterwards. Which I find funny because it’s a case where defacing it meant adding faces to it.

(For more history jokes like this, Google them. I have no plans on making more and will probably just move on with my life)