The hidden history behind Mount Rushmore

What do four giant faces carved into a mountainside really tell us about the United States? Historian Matthew Davis unearths the deeper story behind Mount Rushmore – from Indigenous displacement to nationalist ambition

Published: March 4, 2026 at 8:00 AM

Save

Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic images in US history – but its story is far more complex and controversial than that of a simple sculpture. In this episode, historian Matthew Davis joins Elinor Evans to discuss his latest book, A Biography of a Mountain, which delves into the layers of myth and meaning behind the granite. Davis explains how the Black Hills – sacred to the Lakota Nation – were seized in violation of treaties, and how sculptor Gutzon Borglum, a man with ties to the Ku Klux Klan, came to carve the faces of four presidents on to a mountainside.

Ad

Authors

Elinor EvansHead of digital (web and video)

Elinor Evans is head of digital (web and video)

Ad

Ad

Loading...

Ad

Loading...