Three-Dimensional
Mount Rushmore
Cast:
Anchor 1
Anchor 2
Reporter
Tourist 1
Tourist 2
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Anchor 1: Good morning. I’m Anchor 1. Welcome to Burst News.
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Anchor 2: I’m Anchor 2. Today we’re reporting fascinating news from
Mount Rushmore. Here’s Burst Reporter to tell us more.
Reporter: Each year, about three million people visit Mount Rushmore
National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is a
5,725-foot-tall sculpture of four of our nation’s presidents. I’m here with
two visitors who visit this memorial every summer.
Tourist 1: Every time I come, I learn something new and interesting.
Of course, I know the sculpture is of George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, four of America’s
most important presidents.
Tourist 2: I always learn something new, too. Did you know the
sculpture is carved into an exposed granite wall, and it cost nearly one
million dollars to construct?
Reporter: Yes, indeed, but today Burst News has thrilling new
information to report.
Tourist 1: First, tell viewers Mount Rushmore was the idea of a
historian named Doane Robinson, who was from South Dakota.
He really only wanted a monument to promote tourism in his state.
Anchor 1: Yes, well, Robinson consulted with master sculptor Gutzon
Borglum, who agreed to his idea. However, Borglum wanted to sculpt a
monument that was a tribute to the American ideal. Isn’t that correct?
Anchor 2: Yes, Borglum chose the presidents he thought represented
the first 150 years of American history. Our first president, George
Washington, represents the birth of the country.
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Tourist 1: Thomas Jefferson, our third president, wrote the Declaration
of Independence and was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase,
which doubled the country’s size. Jefferson stands for America’s
expansion.
Anchor 1: Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president, believed slavery
should be abolished, and he united a country divided in Civil War. He
symbolizes the preservation of the nation.
Tourist 2: Theodore Roosevelt, our twenty-sixth president, was behind
the construction of the Panama Canal. He represents the development
of the country.
Anchor 2: Now, Burst Reporter, can you describe for us how the
sculpture was made?
Reporter: I can indeed. Borglum sculpted models of each of the
presidents’ heads, then he created a formula for workers to follow. The
workers used this formula to accurately carve the presidents’ features.
Tourist 1: May I add, most of the granite was blasted away with
dynamite, and then the workers were suspended over the face of the
rock wall. They used drills to shape the presidential faces and chisels
and hammers to smooth out the rough surfaces.
Tourist 2: What’s incredible is that Borglum started the sculpture in
1927, yet the entire sculpture was completed 14 years later in 1941!
However, the work on each presidential face was completed one at
a time.
Anchor 1: That’s correct. On July 4, 1930, as part of the nation’s
Independence Day celebration, George Washington’s sculpture was
officially dedicated. Then on August 30, 1936, Thomas Jefferson’s
sculpture was dedicated.
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Anchor 2: Abraham Lincoln’s sculpture was dedicated September 17,
1937, as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of the adoption
of the United States Constitution. Finally, on July 2, 1939, Theodore
Roosevelt’s sculpture was officially dedicated.
Reporter: Sadly, Viewers, sculptor Gutzon Borglum died before the
monument was finished. Fortunately, he did see the completion of the
presidential faces. Borglum’s son, Lincoln, supervised the final touches
on the monument. The last day of drilling was October 31, 1941.
Tourist 1: What’s amazing is that about 400 workers helped carve the
monument, and it was built without the casualty of a single worker!
Tourist 2: Here’s another interesting fact. Every year before winter,
National Park Service staff maintains the monument. They repel over
the side of Mount Rushmore to check for cracks that may have
developed.
Anchor 1: That’s right. They fill the cracks with waterproof silicon to
prevent water seeping into the sculpture. Freezing and expanding water
would damage the rock face of the monument.
Anchor 2: Yes, viewers, any kind of shift in the monument due to
cracking or expanding is monitored by tracking devices that detect
even the tiniest movement in the rock face. There are two devices in
Lincoln’s head and two just to the right of Washington’s head.
Tourist 2: I read the devices send data to a computer and are sensitive
to movement to one thousandth of an inch! Every time they detect
rock movement, they shift the rock back to its original position. If a
rock continues moving without shifting back, the park crew recieves a
warning to secure the rock face.
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Anchor 1: Speaking of computers, this brings us to our big news. The
big news is you will soon be able to see a three-dimensional picture of
the Mount Rushmore National Monument on your computer screen!
Anchor 2: A nonprofit group named CyArk is using laser beams to
scan the enormous sculptures of the presidents, and then they will
create a three-dimensional digital image of the monument.
Reporter: The group’s goal is to map hundreds of monuments
throughout the world to preserve them for future generations. The
drawings can also serve as a reference if any monuments are ever
damaged.
Tourist 1: That’s wonderful! The digital 3-D imaging could also be an
educational tool. Teachers could access the image online to teach
students about the monument without ever leaving the classroom.
Reporter: Even people who would like to tour the monument but aren’t
able to visit could see the site more realistically.
Tourist 2: We do learn something new every time we visit!
Reporter: Thank you, Tourists. Now back to the studio.
Anchor 1: Mount Rushmore celebrates how American creativity
and teamwork can come together to build a mighty and awesome
memorial.
Anchor 2: Now thanks to modern technology, this glorious monument
will be preserved digitally for generations to come! Until next time,
thanks for watching Burst News.
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