Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Carved into the granite face of the Black Hills are the towering likenesses of four of our presidential leaders. Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a ceremonial experience. Upon approaching the site, we walked the Avenue of Flags, with flags representing all U.S. states and territories. This walk takes us to the overlook where the monumental sculpture emerges from the mountainside.
The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were sculpted between 1917 and 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum. The project transformed raw stone into a lasting symbol of American ideals representing the nation’s birth, growth, development and preservation. The scale of this project is a part of the message as the mountain itself is enlisted in the act of remembrance.
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Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Fort Laramie National Historic Site in Fort Laramie, Wyoming, preserves one of the most important crossroads in the history of the American West. Established as a private fur trading post in 1834, the fort eventually evolved into the largest and most significant military post on the northern plains. It became a vital stop for thousands […]
Golden Spike National Historical Park
There are places where history is marked by monuments, and others where it is held in the land itself. Golden Spike National Historical Park, located in northern Utah at Promontory Summit, is one of those places. At Promontory Summit, the significance is in the simple alignment of two rail lines that once approached from opposite […]
Little Bighorn Battlefield Monument
A visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is a powerful reminder that history depends on whose story is being told. Located near Crow Agency, Montana, the battlefield preserves the site where one of the most famous encounters of the American West took place. On June 25 and 26, 1876, Lt Colonel George Armstrong Custer […]
