South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with the idea of Mount Rushmore. Originally, he suggested using famous American West heroes like Bill Cody. The sculptor Gutzon Borglam ultimately chose to depict George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, four Presidents he felt played critical roles in both preserving the Republic, and expanding its territory. From his perspective, these four presidents were the driving force behind some of the critical historical events that helped shaped the United States.
Compare that memorial to the Crazy Horse memorial still being carved just a few miles west of Rushmore. Much different scale and they will be working for 70+ years before it is completed.
All four faces at Rushmore would fit in the carved flowing hair on the subject’s head.
LikeLiked by 1 person