Construction of Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore for the sculpture, since it seemed to be the easiest and most stable of the cliffs to work on. Having decided on the location of the sculpture, Borglum decided to make the monument of four presidents of the United States. He chose the two most famous presidents in American history, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. He chose Thomas Jefferson because Jefferson nearly doubled the size of the United States in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase (which included the land that became South Dakota). The last president Borglum chose was Theodore Roosevelt, suggested by President Calvin Coolidge (who insisted that
Virginia State Route 263 Virginia State Route 263 State Route 263 (SR 263) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Orkney Grade, the state highway runs from SR 659 in Orkney Springs east to U.S. Route 11 (US 11) in Mount Jackson. SR 263 connects Mount Jackson with a resort area in the mountains of southwestern Shenandoah County. SR 263 is a Virginia Byway. SR 263 begins at the eastern end of Shrine Mont Circle, a loop that is designated SR 659 and serves Shrine Mont, an Episcopal Diocese of Virginia retreat that hosts the annual Shenandoah Valley