A fact not in the book: In 1937 as Congress was appropriating more money for Rushmore there was much talk and a bill in Congress to add Susan B Anthony, the suffragette, to the mountain. You can imagine how that sat with all the men involved. The women now had the right to vote, so no one wanted to insult the ladies, but Mount Rushmore honored presidents and Ms Anthony had never been president. The men squirmed out of it and quietly the bill went away and Rushmore got more funding.
Fact in the book: The presidents were to be carved from the waist up! But after Gutzon died, money had run out so Lincoln decided just to concentrate on the faces to make the mountain look complete. This is a model they used on Mount Rushmore to take measurements from.
Based on the success of the Susan B. Anthony dollar, this clearly woulda been the kiss of death.
Pretty interesting tidbit, I must say. And the waist up??? Egad! No wonder this subject fascinates you. It fascinates me now, too!
Posted by: Gregory K. | March 17, 2007 at 12:20 AM