The hidden history behind Mount Rushmore
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How did four US presidents, Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, come to be carved on the side of a mountain in South Dakota? Why were their faces chosen, and by whom? In this episode of the History Extra podcast, Matthew Davis traces how a mountainside in the Black Hills, on land vital to the origin stories of the Lakota Nation, came to be a granite canvas for a colossal sculpture at Mount Rushmore. Talking to Eleanor Evans, he explores the story of the monument and its creation that illuminates the question about whose version of history ends up carved in stone. Matthew, thank you so much for joining us on today's History Extra podcast.
How are you doing today? I am doing great. Thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here. It's a real pleasure.
And we're talking about somewhere that I'm sure a lot of people will have seen images of. We have a lot of American listeners, so they will probably be aware of this memorial. And we also have a lot of British and worldwide listeners too. So I think we're going to go back to basics with Mount Rushmore. You describe in your book very evocatively how on an early visit it struck you as, quote,
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