Name
Monumental Surveyors
Date & Time
Friday, May 17, 2019, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Description
Many know Mount Rushmore depicts “Three Surveyors and One other Guy”, but most know little about the surveying work of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. This seminar provides an overview of that work, and also looks at the other guy, Teddy Roosevelt, with an exploration of his opinions about surveyors. No trip to Mount Rushmore would be complete without also visiting the nearby Crazy Horse monument, still being carved, so we will examine interactions between surveyors and Native Americans, and between the Rushmore presidents and natives. Moving beyond the famous people in the carvings, we will study the surveying methods which have guided the sculpture work. After looking at the techniques Gutzon Borglum used to guide his earlier work at Stone Mountain, Georgia, we will look at the work at Rushmore. The discussions wrap up with a look at how surveyors at Crazy Horse are helping provide data and control to oversee the mountain carving project. The ongoing work is being guided and analyzed today with modern technology including laser scanning, which is also being used to guide maintenance work at Mount Rushmore.
Session Type
Seminar