MOUNT RUSHMORE AND CRAZY HORSE

On Wednesday July 13, 2022 we took a bus tour from a place called Ft. Hays that took us to Mount Rushmore, over Iron Mountain to the Crazy Horse monument and back to Fort Hays. We started very early in the morning and ended the day fairly late that night after a dinner and a floor show. Fort Hays was part of the Dances With Wolves movie set. The scene where Lt. Dunbar, Kevin Kostner, reported to Major Fambrough who was mentally ill and committed suicide after their meeting. Ft Hays was the name of the fort that Kevin Kostner reported to in the movie and this place was called Ft. Hays. The actual Fort Hays was in Kansas I was told. There were plenty of souvenir shops and it looked more like a western town movie set. We started the day by eating breakfast and afterward we boarded a bus. We took highway 16 A that was built directly over the summit of Iron Mountain specifically to provide scenic views of Mount Rushmore. The roads were very curvy and we had to pass through a number of tunnels that were so narrow the bus could barely clear them. I would have been a mess if not for Dramamine. If I hadn't taken it I would have been puking my guts up and it would have taken me at least three days to get over it, which would have put a damper on the rest of my vacation.

Set of Dances With Wolves

The idea for Mount Rushmore came from South Dakota's state historian who wanted to promote tourism. There were several names for Mount Rushmore before it was officially named in 1930 by the US government. It was named after a wealthy investor named Charles Rushmore who had visited the area on prospecting and hunting trips over the years. He joked to people that one day the mountain would be named after him. Prior to 1930 the Lakota Sioux named it Six Grandfathers or Cougar Mountain. This area was part of the Sioux's sacred hunting ground and the Black Hill's area, where Mount Rushmore was located, was given to the Sioux as part of the Fort Laramie treaty of 1868. The US Cavalry led by Custer discovered gold in the Black Hills in 1874. Miners started flooding into the area and at first the army tried to keep them out. Between 1876 and 1878, however; the Sioux were finally forced off their land in the Black Hill's. Gutzon Borglum was contacted by Doane Robinson in 1924 to carve historical figures in Mount Rushmore. He wanted Lewis and Clark, along with American Indian figures such as Sacagawea and others to be carved in the mountain but Borglum talked him out of it. Borglum wanted American presidents. Ultimately George Washington was picked because of his role in creating America. Thomas Jefferson for his role in purchasing the Louisiana territory of which South Dakota was a part of. Lincoln was chosen for preserving the Union and Theodore Roosevelt for preserving the the natural beauty of America and his role in leading America into the twentieth century.

When I was at Mount Rushmore Borglum's association with the Ku Klux Klan was swept under the rug by the park service and other accounts that I have read about Mount Rushmore do not mention it. Borglum was born to a Mormon polygamist in Idaho in 1867. He spent most of his youth out west. Borglum loved ancient colossal projects like the pyramids, the Parthenon, and other ancient structures. In 1915 he was approached by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to carve the images of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and JEB Stuart charging on horseback in the side of Stone Mountain Georgia. The year 1915 was a watershed moment in American history. The original Ku Klux Klan formed at Nashville's historic Maxwell House hotel in 1866 as a white Democrat terrorist group in order to defeat the Republican party and reconstruction in the South had all but died by 1915. Its death had been virtually assured by the late 1870's when it became apparent that the Republican party had no real chance of gaining a foothold in the South. The Republican party saw the writing on the wall and virtually abandoned Southern blacks to a new form of slavery called segregation after the 1876 presidential election which resulted in the Compromise of 1877. This in spite of a valiant effort by President Ulysses S. Grant to make reconstruction work. Grant damaged the Klan and almost put it out of business but after the Compromise of 1877 there was no real need for the Klan so they dissolved. The Rutherford B. Hayes agreed to the compromise because Northerners had grown tired of the struggle and expense of trying to reconstruct the Southern Democrat party.There was a Klan resurgence in 1915 after the release of a popular movie called Birth Of A Nation. The movie was based on a novel called the Clansman which glorified the Klan as the savior of white women and a noble Southern society fighting against vicious Northern Carpetbaggers along with rapacious black men. The Democrat president Woodrow Wilson aired the movie in the White House and loved it. He had nothing but good things to say about it.

The resurgent Democrat party Klan was different from the Democrat party Klan of 1866. That Klan had focused on their hatred of blacks along with the white Republicans that were trying to help them register to vote and run for political office. The 1915 Klan not only hated blacks but Catholics, Jews, foreigners and organized labor. Again, this Klan was primarily made up of white Democrats. Other differences were in their dress. The 1915 Klan wore all white robes and hoods. The post Civil War Klan wore outfits that looked more like Halloween costumes than the uniform white robes of the 1915 Klan. Cross burning was a tradition started by the 1915 Klan and was unheard of in the 1866 Klan. The first cross was burned atop Stone Mountain Georgia on November 25th 1915, ten months after the debut of the movie Birth Of A Nation which announced the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan. This reborn Klan during the 1920's was the largest Klan ever and Klaverns were established in every state in the union. The depression, along with a major corruption and sex scandal by a well known and powerful Klan leader in Indiana would deplete the ranks of the Klan. It would have somewhat of a revival in the 1950's and 60's in the Democrat South fighting advances in civil rights.

Gutzon Borglum, as far as we know never formally joined the Klan but he was very involved with it's activities and attended many Klan meetings. By what we know of him it is safe to call him a white supremacist based on the old definition of the term and not the woke definition. Borglum was commissioned by the UDC to carve the Confederate figures in the side of Stone Mountain but after ten years he had a falling out with them and in a fit of rage destroyed the work he had accomplished, packed up his tools and left Atlanta. In 1925 he headed west and Calvin Coolidge broke ground on Mount Rushmore which officially inaugurated the beginning of construction. Borglum hired gold miners to work on the monument which was a good choice because 90% of the work was done with dynamite. These miners were highly skilled in it's use. The drill bits alone weighed 30 lbs and as many as 400 could be used in a day. These miners hauled their equipment up a trail on the backside of the mountain and their pay didn't start until they actually started working on the monument. In the 14 years that it took to build it incredibly no workers were killed. Borglum had a grand vision of what he wanted to accomplish. He wanted to put in a grand staircase on the back of the mountain, an underground vault to house our important national archives like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He also wanted to carve not only the heads of his historical figures but their torsos. Private and government funding payed for the work on Mount Rushmore but because of the onset of World War 2 and the death of Borglum on March 6, 1941 government funding was cut off. Gutzon's grand vision was never completed.

I think history should be told in the same manner as the Bible. The Bible does not hide anything. We see the good along with the bad. All the good points of it's main characters along with their flaws. The moral of the story is that God is the only one worthy of being called good. God makes promises, unlike man, that he doesn't break, and in the end there is the promise of redemption. American history should be transparent and we should not try to clean up or ignore the flaws of it's main characters. One can argue that Borglum's motivation in carving these four presidents, who happened to be white, as opposed to Sacagawea and other American Indian heroes was racist and they would probably be right.

Maybe Doane Robinson's suggestion would have been more appropriate in the area of the Black Hills since it belonged to the Sioux but I always try to look for the history's silver lining. Regardless of Borglum's motives he carved some heavy hitters in American history. Yes, Washington was a slaveowner but America would not be the great country that it is, and would not have been a beacon of freedom that it is, without George Washington. He brought America successfully through eight years of a bloody Revolution fighting to keep his army together, clothed and fed. Washington was the glue that kept the Constitutional Convention together until they could hammer out a Constitution that has served us well over the last 250 years. A Constitution that has provided the machinery to evolve as a nation. Washington's leadership as president set good precedents for future presidents and protected us from foreign entanglements too early. He governed with the knowledge that not only was he being scrutinized by his generation but future generations so he exhibited the highest moral character. For his generation Washington can be compared to Noah “ Noah was a righteous man in his generation” ( Gen. 6:9 ) Maybe by today's standards Noah or Washington might not be considered righteous but in their day they were. We badly need people with the character of Washington today, minus the slaves. Can you imagine politicians in Washington today turning their backs on power?

Here was a man who could have been a dictator at the end of the revolution but he preserved the revolution by walking away from power. Power is a very difficult thing for the average man to turn down. The lure of power is intoxicating. The great English statesman Edmund Burke stated Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never can willingly abandon it. They may be distressed in the midst of all their power; but they will never look to any thing but power for their relief. That is all the Democrat party is about these days. Yet Washington was strong enough to resist it. After the revolution he was as close to being a god on earth that a human could be in the eyes of the average American. He could have easily established an American monarchy or dictatorship but he was above all of that and nobly relinquished power. When the American artist Benjamin West told King George III that Washington was stepping down from power the king replied "If he does that he will be the greatest man in the world". Even after being elected unanimously twice as president he refused to serve more than 2 terms. This was a second rejection of power. Washington was hoping to relay the message for his generation and future generations that political office should be a public service and not a career. Of course it took a Social Democrat, Franklin Roosevelt, to break that tradition. Washington was also the only independent to be elected president. He did not like political parties. What a man?

Borglum's second choice was Thomas Jefferson, another slaveowner. It can be argued that Jefferson did not possess the sterling character of Washington but he provided America with a moral and philosophical foundation in the Declaration of Independence that makes America truly exceptional. The idea that the people, or the individual is supreme rather than government. Government is a necessary evil but it's power derives from the consent of the governed. This concept was unheard of in 1776. John Locke had written about it in his Second Treatise of Government but no one had ever put these ideas into practice Our rights were given to us by God and only he had the right to take them from us. The Declaration proclaimed that there was a social contract between government and the individual that granted us the right to alter or abolish government if it becomes tyrannical. Although America wasn't ready to live up to the Declaration's promise in 1776, that all men were created equal, the promise was written down on paper for future generations inspiring them to finally live up to those sacred words. Jefferson was responsible for buying the land for the United States that Mount Rushmore rests on. Again, regardless of Borglum's motives, not a bad choice in my view.

Abraham Lincoln once said that the 3 things that had the most influence on him was the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. This influence is very evident in his speeches, his public and private conversations as well as his actions. Lincoln never believed in organized religion. He was a skeptic for much of his life. Yet, there is evidence that Lincoln converted to Christianity after his visit to Gettysburg in November 1863 for the dedication of the National cemetery and after delivering his famous Gettysburg Address. Sadly, we live in an age that you might be suspected of being a right wing terrorist by the FBI for having the same philosophy as Lincoln. In addition law schools are graduating students who have never even read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution.

One can make a solid argument that by today's standards Lincoln was a racist but for that time it can be shown that he was a progressive. Not progressive as the Communists would define a progressive today but in the classical sense. If you read his responses in the Lincoln-Douglas debates it is evident that he considered the black race inferior to the white race. Yet he considered slavery immoral. He probably learned this from his father, who he did not have a good relationship with. This was a reason why his father moved from the slave state of Kentucky, where Lincoln was born, to the free state of Indiana. On the other hand Lincoln believed in colonization, which by today's standards is racist but many whites, and some blacks at that time considered this as a solution to slavery. This is how the country of Liberia was formed by former American slaves who moved there. Yet most blacks, rightfully saw this country as their home and they rejected the idea of colonization. At the beginning of the Civil War and until the bitter end of it Lincoln's main goal was preserving the Union. Yet when the opportunities presented themselves he took advantage of those opportunities to free the slaves both by the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. He was killed for saying that he would like to see educated blacks along with the black soldiers who served in the war to be given the right to vote. The Democrat John Wilkes Booth was listening in the crowd gathered below on the White House lawn. After hearing Lincoln say this he told his co conspirator, David Herald, that Lincoln was a dead man for saying that. For a white American in 1865 to advocate giving black males the right to vote, even in a limited way was a progressive attitude for the time.

Like Washington, Lincoln set precedents. Historically. civil wars do not end well. The defeated leaders and participants usually end up being being shot, tortured or imprisoned. Or civil wars devolve into bloody guerrilla wars that can go on for years and generations. Lincoln's biggest fear was the Democrat party in the South would refuse to surrender and break up into small guerrilla bands causing the war to be even bloodier and more costly. The Northern government was close to bankruptcy by 1865 and total casualties were somewhere around 750,000 men on both sides. Lincoln's knowledge of history combined with his knowledge of the Bible and God's forgiving grace led him to instruct his generals to "let me up easy". He gave specific instructions that he didn't want any reprisals against Jefferson Davis or Confederate generals like Lee. His wish was that they would just leave the country after the war. When Lee accepted Grants offer to surrender he was expecting harsh terms and was very surprised to receive such lenient terms. The same terms offered to Lee were offered to the remaining Confederate armies still active in the field. Lincoln's example of leniency was carried over to World War II. There were no enemies more brutal than the Japanese and the Germans but in spite of that we treated them with undeserved respect and helped rebuild their war ravaged countries. Because of our influence Japan and Germany are democracies and no longer a threat to world piece. Washington was instrumental in creating the greatest country on earth and Lincoln was instrumental in saving it. We need a Lincoln today to save us from the destructive evil of the Democrat party again.

The fourth president on Mount Rushmore, Theodore Roosevelt, seemed to set the tone for a young America transitioning from the 19th century into the more modern 20th. He had more energy than any president that I know of. I have heard one historian compare him to a perpetual motion machine. This came, I believe, from the fact that he was a very sickly child and he trained his body to overcome his frailness by athletics and a strenuous lifestyle. Roosevelt was born into wealth that could be classified as old wealth. As a young man he decided to go into politics, a career field that was considered beneath him socially. As a politician he soon gained the reputation as a reformer in an age when reform was needed. In 1880 he married the love of his life Alice Lee and in 1883 he went west to hunt bison in the Badlands and he bought a ranch while he was there. After returning to his home in New York, while away on political trip, he learned on February 11, 1884 that his wife had given birth to a baby girl but she was gravely ill. Upon returning home he learned that his mother was also ill. Both she and his wife died on February 14, 1884. Roosevelt wrote in his diary that day "The light has gone out of my life".

He left for his ranch in the Dakota's to work through his grief. Roosevelt was considered a dude by the local cowboys but he eventually gained their respect for his toughness. In 1886 he married a childhood friend named Edith Carow and they had 5 boys together. His oldest boy Theodore Roosevelt III would be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his leadership after D Day. Theodore would also receive it for his bravery on San Juan Hill posthumously. The Roosevelt's as well as Douglas MacArthur and his father Arthur would be the only fathers and sons awarded the Medal of Honor. Roosevelt's son Quentin was an army aviator who was shot down and killed in WWI. His only girl by his first wife Alice became the talk of the town after she grew up because of her raucus lifestyle which violated the mores of Victorian society. When she was 19 someone complained to him about her and he replied “I can do one of two things. I can be President of the United States or I can control Alice Roosevelt. I cannot possibly do both.”

As police commissioner of New York City he reformed the police department and established policies that are still in place today. As assistant secretary of the Navy under William McKinley he positioned and prepared the U.S. Navy in such a way that they were able to quickly defeat Spain in the Spanish American War. Roosevelt resigned his post to join the army so he could fight in the war. He became a hero at San Juan Hill which helped him win the governorship of New York. Because of his fame the Republican party chose him to run as a vice presidential candidate in 1900 for William McKinley's second term. Roosevelt became president in 1901 when McKinley was assassinated. Because of George Washington's precedent of only 2 terms he made the promise that he would leave office after 2 terms in 1909. Roosevelt built up the U.S. Navy, pushed through the Panama Canal, and was known as the trust buster. He pushed for the 40 hour work week and saved millions of acres of land so American's could enjoy nature in our national parks. Roosevelt called the presidency a "Bully pulpit" and he used it masterfully to persuade the American people into supporting his policies. His cousin Franklin would also be a master of the bully pulpit to our detriment as a country.

Roosevelt left office in 1909 and went on safari in Africa. His handpicked successor William Howard Taft was not as progressive as he hoped and Roosevelt decided to violate his 2 term pledge and run for a 3rd term. The Republican establishment decided to back Taft so Roosevelt ran a third party campaign on the Bull Moose party ticket. The Democrats were running the racist progressive Woodrow Wilson. If Taft had not been challenged by Roosevelt he would have probably beaten Wilson but because of Roosevelt's popularity he gained more votes than any third party effort in history but it was not enough to win. All his effort did was place the authoritarian Wilson in power. Wilson was the first president that did not believe in the Constitution. He pushed the concept that the Constitution is a living document. In other words the Constitution didn't mean what it said. It was to be interpreted in a broad sense which has allowed government to become bigger and more tyrannical over the years.

During Roosevelt's third party campaign an incident occurred which illustrates Roosevelt's toughness, While Roosevelt was giving a speech a man shot him in the chest. After the man was restrained Roosevelt continued with the speech in spite of the fact that he was bleeding profusely. Roosevelt's life was saved by his spectacle case and a folded copy of his speech in his pocket. The bullet remained in his chest until his death in 1919. Roosevelt died in his sleep at the age of 60. Few people packed as much into 60 years as he did. Although Roosevelt is one of my favorite figures in American history I have mixed emotions about his presidency and his progressiveness. Although there were many issues that needed to be addressed at the turn of the century such as poverty, racism, women's suffrage, child labor and corporate abuses the progressive movement was not the answer. Like Reagan said, government isn't the solution it is the problem. Roosevelt is my least favorite face on Mount Rushmore but he was a great American.

Mount Rushmore before the carving

Gutzon Borglum

This shirt was well received

Pa with Russell

Left to right - Robbie, Zachary, Carrie, Lisa, Debbie, Rob, Melanie, Kenny, Ronnie, Misty, Blaine, me & Russell

Iron Mountain

Driving through a narrow tunnel in Iron mountain

The winding roads of Iron Mountain

Sylvan Lake where Crazy Horse had visions

Sylvan Lake

The unfinished Crazy Horse monument

Our last stop on the tour was the Crazy Horse monument. Crazy Horse was born sometime between 1840 and 1845. He was involved in two of the worst defeats ever suffered by the U.S. Army in the Indian wars. The Fetterman fight in 1866 and the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. Captain William Fetterman's whole command, consisting of 81 troopers was wiped out in Wyoming after Crazy Horse lured them into an ambush. Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer's command of 210 men was wiped out in Montana and Crazy Horse played a big part in that. Black Elk said this about Crazy Horse ...he was a queer man and would go about the village without noticing people or saying anything. In his own teepee he would joke, and when he was on the warpath with a small party, he would joke to make his warriors feel good. But around the village, he hardly ever noticed anybody, except little children. All the Lakotas like to dance and sing, but he never joined a dance, and they say nobody ever heard him sing. But everybody liked him, and they would do anything he wanted or go anywhere he said. On May 5, 1877 Crazy Horse along with other Indians surrendered to the U.S. Army at the Red Cloud agency in Nebraska. After a few months because of rumors going around about Crazy Horse wanting to kill General George Crook he was arrested and was bayoneted by a guard trying to escape. Crazy Horse died later that night.

I was disappointed in the Crazy Horse monument. Work began on this monument in 1947 and the only thing completed is the head of Crazy Horse. The people building the monument will only take private donations and the money that it takes in for admission and souvenirs. The Federal government has offered to help twice but their offers have been turned down. I admire them for refusing Federal money but you would think that much more work would have been accomplished since 1947.