In Gazing upon Mount Rushmore for the first time, one cannot help but appreciate the permanence of this massive stone spectacle. For to appreciate its lasting qualities is to realize that the mountain from which it is carved has remained virtually unchanged since man's existence on earth. No doubt, it is one of America's most enduring memorials, and a conerstone for generations to come.

That was the very essence of Gutzon Borglum's dream: "...that the supreme accomplishments of man should be built into the crust of the earth so these records would have to melt or by wind be worn to dust and blown away..."