Lincoln Borglum that capacity until May 15, 1944. Borglum continued to work as a sculptor after leaving Mount Rushmore. He created several religious works for churches in Texas, including the well-known shrine "Our Lady of Loreto" in Goliad. Borglum also wrote three books, all about the sculpting of Mount Rushmore. Lincoln Borglum was a member of Battle River Masonic Lodge No. 92 in Hermosa, South Dakota. Like many of the men who worked on the Rushmore project, Borglum's lungs were permanently scarred from breathing in granite dust associated with the blasting. Borglum died in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the age of 73.
Construction of Mount Rushmore at least there be two Republicans and at least one Democrat represented) because of Theodore Roosevelt's introduction of the National Park Service. Borglum's original design was a sculpture of each president intended to go down to their waists, but time constraints and funding only provided for their heads. Ivan Houser, father of John Sherrill Houser, was assistant sculptor to Gutzon Borglum during the early years of carving; he began working with Borglum shortly after the inception of the monument and was with Borglum for a total of seven years. When Houser left Gutzon to devote his talents to his own