2007/06/04
Tunnels and faces
After a visit to the information center, Ed was armed with a long list of things to do and places to see in the area. We decided that we would start with the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, but inserted a detour to drive the Wildlife Drive in Custer Sate Park, then continue on the scenic drive stopping at Mount Rushmore before heading back to Custer. What an interesting drive, we passed through several tunnels (one of which was just over 8 feet wide), saw white-tailed deer, bison, prairie dogs and burros, some fantastic views and of course Mount Rushmore.
One of the tunnels we drove through in Custer State Park.
Custer State Park is home to about 1500 bison --- I think we seen about 10 of them.
A Pronghorn
Very friendly burros. A number of years ago the burros were brought into the park to pull carts to transport people and goods to the more rugged area of the park. When the burros were no longer needed they were released into the park and have thrived.
The visitor center another Civilian Conservation Corps project
The man who designed the road and thus tunnels leading to Mount Rushmore planned the tunnels to frame the presidents on Mount Rushmore.
A walkway leading to the viewing platform is lined with flags from all of the states.
The presidents are from left to right: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, created this model of the sculpture. Mount Rushmore and the presidents can be seen out of the upper window.
Keystone, has become a real tourist town. Prior to 1900, Keystone was the centre a mining community, with local mines extracting mica, tin oxide, gold and other rare mineral. Keystone is the nearest town to Mount Rushmore and at one time supplied the electrical power required to create the faces on the mountain.
