Monuments Made of Rocks
Many majestic rock formations throughout the United States have been deemed national monuments by the National Park Service. These formations are open to the public to tour. While some of these monuments are natural landmarks, other rock monuments -- such as Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse statue -- were sculpted by artisans. The National Park Service permits tourists to climb the majority of rock monuments in the United States.
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Mount Rushmore
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Mount Rushmore is in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, and features the faces of George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson on the side of the mountain. The faces were carved into the mountain from 1927 to 1941. The purpose of this monument was to celebrate the first 150 years of the United States. Approximately 90 percent of the sculpting process for Mount Rushmore involved the use of dynamite.
Crazy Horse Memorial
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Situated in South Dakota's Black Hills region, the Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain statue that has been under construction intermittently since 1948. This rock monument is being sculpted in honor of Crazy Horse, a Lakota American Indian warrior who lived in the 19th century. Thunder Mountain is the site of the statue. When completed, the statue will be 563 feet tall and more than 640 feet wide. The statue depicts Crazy Horse riding into battle on his horse.
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Devils Tower National Monument
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Devils Tower is the cornerstone attraction in Devils Tower National Monument, a 1,347-acre national park in northeastern Wyoming. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt made Devils Tower the first national monument in the United States. This rock formation is 1,267 feet tall and stands more than 5,100 feet above sea level. The Belle Fourche River passes by the monument. American Indian tribes, including the Sioux and Cheyenne, consider Devils Tower a sacred place. Hiking trails are available.
Monument Rocks
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The Monument Rocks, also referred to as the Chalk Pyramids, are in western Kansas, approximately 40 minutes south of Oakley. These rock formations reach heights of approximately 70 feet. Monument Rocks are considered a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. The rocks at this landmark site are made of chalk and feature a variety of animal and plant fossils. Fossils include turtles, reptiles and a "fish within a fish" fossil.
Plymouth Rock
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One of the smaller rock monuments in the United States is Plymouth Rock, located in Pilgrim Memorial State Park in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The rock is a small boulder within the confines of an 81-foot granite Greek-style structure. The boulder features the inscription "1620." Plymouth Rock marks the site where the Pilgrims landed in the 17th century to start their lives in the New World. The monument overlooks Plymouth Harbor.
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References
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