Mount Rushmore still disputed on the basis of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie (see section "Controversy" below). Among American settlers, the peak was known variously as Cougar Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, Slaughterhouse Mountain, and Keystone Cliffs. It was named Mount Rushmore during a prospecting expedition by Charles Rushmore, David Swanzey (husband of Carrie Ingalls), and Bill Challis. Historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea for Mount Rushmore in 1923 to promote tourism in South Dakota. In 1924, Robinson persuaded sculptor Gutzon Borglum to travel to the Black Hills region to ensure the carving could be accomplished. Borglum had been involved in sculpting the
Robert Garrison Robert Garrison Robert Ernest Garrison was an American sculptor (May 30, 1895 – 1943). He was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Son of Fred A. Garrison and Anna Timms. Garrison studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and with Gutzon Borglum. He made his home in Denver, Colorado where he served on the faculty of the University of Denver and some of his work can be found. Garrison worked mainly in stone and bronze. In 1919 he moved to Denver and became a Director of the Denver Academy of Applied Art. During his tenure there he taught