Family visit to Mount Rushmore

Our summer trip to Wyoming and South Dakota was amazing.  We combined climbing with family time, history, geography, science and more.  When we planned the trip, climbing was the main focus, but hitting some of the National Parks and National Monuments were also a must.  Mount Rushmore is one of those locations that combines both.  There are amazing climbing opportunities in the shadow of the National Monument.  There are also a number of tourist destinations to explore with the kids including the Mt. Rushmore Alpine Slide, gold mines, zip lines, and more.  We opted for the following itinerary:

• Day 1. Climb at Rushmore
• Day 2. Climb at Rushmore
• Day 3. Visit Mt. Rushmore and Alpine Slide
• Day 4. Alpine Slide, climb, explore the Needles
• Day 5. Day trip to Spearfish for Climbing

On our off days from climbing, we visited Mt. Rushmore. The kids enjoyed the family time and their experience with the Junior Ranger program.  It’s an amazing program that is offered at many National Parks and National Monuments.  I love that the kids can learn about why the monument was built and how it came about, the fact that some people were (are) against the monument etc.  Still, it’s a bit like teaching them the edited version of the Civil War, Thanksgiving, the discovery of America by Columbus. . . there’s a room full of bias and an major bit of fact “clean up” so that kids get some of the details without the ugly pieces that are difficult to explain and comprehend at a young age.

History of Mount Rushmore

So here we come to the rub about Mt. Rushmore. I believe that Mt. Rushmore is an amazing feat of artistry/skill to accomplish. That being said, I also think that it is extremely sad that they ruined a bunch of perfectly good rocks (that I would have loved to have climbed) in order to do so. And that doesn’t even begin to hit on the issues with the Black Hills, Native Americans, and the ownership of the land, not to mention broken treaties and/or the state of poverty on reservations that are only 70 miles from Mt. Rushmore.

I want to teach my kids that just because some people find nothing wrong with the monument, not everyone agrees. I want to share with them that the important thing is the land, nature, the trees and the rocks. . . the preservation of a beautiful area that we’ll want to share with their kids some day. Instead, we took pictures in front of the monument, found out who the artist was, identified the great men whose likeness is on the face, and then took off to ride the alpine slide.

I look at that moment as a missed opportunity, where I only briefly touched on the sadness I feel that the rock was damaged to make the sculpture.

My kids are 4 and 6. I am committed that the next time we come west to explore, we will stop at a reservation or visit a Native American supported historic site. I want them to learn about both sides of our history. In the end, it is important for me to share our whole history so that they can understand the importance of valuing nature, and the land – not just the pretty version.

Let me be clear, I greatly support the national park system, national forests, and national monuments as a whole. I even understand that this may have been a wonderful economic boon to an area that otherwise would be void of much tourist industry. The complexities are endless and beyond my comprehension, let alone that of a 4 or 6 year old.

I thought that they were too young to understand the Massacre at Wounded Knee (or Battle at Wounded Knee as it is sometimes called), so we didn’t visit there. Perhaps in another few years we can go to that haunting land and discuss the history of the US with the ugly parts front and center. . .

For now, I guess I’ll let my kids admire the faces of our leaders carved into rock without the tainted history that goes along with it.