Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway - Profile in Granite - Keystone, SD
N 43° 52.555 W 103° 27.654
13T E 623653 N 4859242
A roadside pullout just south of Mt. Rushmore along the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway gives a tremendous view of George Washington's profile, and an interpretive sign entitled "Profile in Granite" will tell you all about it.
Waymark Code: WM12G9G
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 05/22/2020
Views: 7
While George Washington's profile is the focus of this scenic lookout, the scenery in all directions is worth the stop. There are eighteen parking spaces here, one of which is for the handicapped and a few are parallel, and there are no facilities.
SD 244 is the route the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway takes through this area, and the byway's emblem is to the left of the sign's title. An inset shows the profile of George Washington's head on Mt. Rushmore, a great view you'll have just by raising your head and looking north, and the measurements provided in the text are shown alongside Washington's profile. There is a badly-faded photo on the other side of the sign, and it may have shown a wider shot of the area, or perhaps the early concept of using Washington's body in the monument.
There are a few goat tracks across the sign, connecting the main body to the "Goats ON Granite" inset, which has a depiction of a mountain goat. The text is:
Profile in Granite
George Washington's powerful profile is so perfectly placed here that you might assume sculptor Gutzon Borglum planned it. But like many great events and feats, it was purely accidental.
Borglum intended to put Thomas Jefferson on Washington's right, but the poor-quality rock here forced him to change his design. Workers had already blocked out the rough features of Jefferson's face when Borglum decided to move him. The Jefferson carving was blasted away by dynamite and the rock smoothed, allowing for a clear view of Washington's profile from this spot. Jefferson ended up on Washington's left, next to Theodore Roosevelt.
Our first president's head is 60 feet tall. He has a 20-foot nose, an 18-foot-wide mouth and each eye is 11 feet across. If Borglum would have carved Washington's entire body using these dimensions, this Founding Father would be as tall as a 40-story building!
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Goats ON Granite
Mountain goats, introduced to the Black Hills in the 1920, have adapted well to the steep granite cliffs. They spend most of their time on rocky ledges but you may see them along the highway. Please slow down when they are near and don't attempt to feed or pet them.