Mount Rushmore: facts, before and after picture

• Also known as the Shrine of Democracy, Mount Rushmore took a staggering 14 years to complete and cost just under $1 million.
• The four presidents’ heads on the hill tower 5,500 feet above sea level, and are scaled to men who would stand 465 feet tall.
• More than 800 million pounds of stone had to be removed from the mountain using a fair bit of dynamite for the sculpting process.
• Jefferson’s head started out on to the right of Washington’s, but after 18 months Jefferson’s face was blown away and carved on the other side.
• The 400 tireless workers had to climb over 500 steps daily just to get to the top of Mount Rushmore

Check out the initial picture of the mountain before the carvings after the cut