In the Black Hills of South Dakota, majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,

Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are said to tell the story of the birth, growth,

development, and preservation of this country.

But how much do you know about Mount Rushmore National Memorial?

I'd venture to guess that most people can name those four presidents and can tell you where it is,

but do you know the history behind it?

Even if you think you know the basics, if you've been there, you've watched the video, you know the whole story.

There's a whole lot more that may knock your socks off.

I'm Jason Epperson, and this is Parkography.

Minnesota farmer Donne Robinson became disillusioned with the life of tending to crops

and thought he'd try his hand at being a lawyer.

Needing a place to practice, he headed for the Dakotas. But it was really

books he loved, and a second career change found him digging into history, eventually being

appointed the job of South Dakota's state historian. He wrote about and recorded the events of the

state as well as biographies of important people.

And at the time, tourism to the Black Hills region was already booming.

An island of dark evergreen mountains and gray stone,

the Black Hills rise out of nowhere at the edge of the vast Dakota prairie

and were nearly as popular at the turn of the 20th century as they are today.

Robinson wasn't convinced that nature was enough, though, and concocted an idea to draw even more

tourism dollars to his state. He wanted to do something big. The towering spire rock formations,

known as the needles that peppered the Black Hills looked to him a bit like people. And inspired by a massive rock carving in Georgia,

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