This Famous Landmark’s Idaho Roots

As you already know, Idaho is a pretty special place. Many Idahoans have had significant achievements in science, art, sports, and entertainment over the years. Olympic cyclist Kristen Armstrong, Patty Duke, Ernest Hemmingway, Christina Hendricks, Harmon Killebrew, Aaron Paul, and Nikki Sixx are all Idahoans. While those names are all pretty recognizable, and we all know who they are and what they've accomplished, there's a name that you might not recognize that made a pretty significant contribution.

Gutzon Borglum was born in St. Charles, Idaho, before we were even a state in 1867. He was raised by Mormon parents here before moving all over the world studying art. Even though his name isn't exactly the most famous, his work is iconic. His sculptures are more prominent than any celebrity that is from here.

Some of his most famous sculptures that you may be familiar with include a bust of Abraham Lincoln that you can see in the United States Capitol Crypt, a bronze statue of General Phillip Sheridan riding a horse that is in the middle of Sheridan Circle in Washington D.C., and Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Those all being famous in their own right, the two that you are most familiar with include the large statue of Abraham Lincoln at Julia Davis Park in Boise. That statue is a more massive replica of one of his earlier works, weighs 6,500 pounds, and was placed there in December of 2013.

However, the most famous sculpture that this Idahoan is known for is none other than Mount Rushmore. He worked on that project for the final fourteen years of his life. He died of a heart attack before it was completed by his son a few months later. The project was supposed to depict each president from head to waist, but the funding ran out, and they could only do faces.

Now you know Idaho's connection to one of America's most famous monuments.