Mr. Jefferson's Face

From the Flashback National Geographic page.


The face that you see of Thomas Jefferson on Mt. Rushmore is actually sculptor Gutzon Borglum's second attempt on the third president's face. The first attempt, located to Washington's right, was ruined by a flaw in the granite and was blasted off in 1934.

Borglum's next attempt, to George's left, was successful and dedicated in 1936.

Much of the carving of Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt did not go as the sculptor had planned. Originally, the carvings were to go down to their waists.

I Didn't Know That. --DaCoot