The Vision of Doane Robinson
The original plan for a sculpture of grand magnitude within the Black Hills came not from Gutzon Borglum but instead from South Dakota State Historian Doane Robinson. Robinson had the idea that with the advent of the new automobile-driven travel, there should be a tourist attraction within South Dakota to draw in the money from such commerce that tourism brings with it. His original concept was to carve a portion of the Black Hills which were called 'the Needles', large granite spires and outcroppings. Several were to be carved with depictions of the settler lifestyle, including images of male and female settlers and Native Americans alike in an homage to the frontier spirit of exploration.
Robinson's vision was quickly changed when he approached Gutzon Borglum to take on the project in 1924. Borglum accepted the new opportunity gladly, given the circumstances of his departure from his prior job. Always a man of ambitious visions and larger-than-life style, Gutzon Borglum was working on the Stone Mountain project at the time. However, due to conflicts with his financial backers, Gutzon was fired from the project and in anger, destroyed the working models for the project. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was forced to flee the state of Georgia.
When Borglum signed on to sculpt Mount Rushmore, he persuaded Doane Robinson that a subject of broader national appeal would draw in more tourism, and he put forth the subject material which exists today. Doane Robinson was the original man with the idea, but as funding was arranged by Congress for the memorial, he found himself shut out of the decision-making
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