People are stunned to see what Mount Rushmore would've looked like — had funding not run out

Despite being one of the most well-known—and controversial—landmarks in US history, only a few know that Mount Rushmore wasn't supposed to be what it looks like today. The original design was actually quite different. Artists Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln Borglum carved the monument into the granite of South Dakota's Black Hills. The construction, a grand tribute to American presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, deviated significantly from their initial plans. The work on the colossal project that began in 1927, closed in 1941 over funding issues and Gutzon’s passing. The monument today stands incomplete. 

Each sculpture, which is around 60 feet (18 meters) tall, actually was supposed to be larger. Resurfaced photos of the original designs reveal a far more elaborate piece, with the four presidents sculpted from head to waist. Nevertheless, the ambitious project still attracts over two million visitors a year. As per The Atlantic, Gutzon had also planned an extensive inscription, the Entablature, to resemble the Louisiana Purchase and carve a condensed history of the United States into the mountain’s eastern face. The idea was however abandoned in 1934, as reported by Scoop Upworthy.

Another lesser-known detail is that when sculptors began working on Jefferson's face, they encountered problems with the stone that made them reconsider their initial plan. They moved him to the left rather than have him be on Washington's right as intended in Gutzon's scale model. This was where the Entablature was supposed to be. The text hence was scrapped. Gutzon reportedly also realized that visitors below would struggle to read it. To preserve the idea, he proposed placing the inscription inside a hidden chamber behind the monument. However, this plan too was left incomplete.

The construction was paused in 1939 when the U.S. Congress declared that funds would only be released to finish the monument. Gutzon went on to seek additional funds as he was determined. However, as reported by Unilad, his efforts were short-lived as he passed in 1941. Today, as people learn about the monument's initial design, netizens are baffled. On Reddit, a person remarked, "Good thing they started with the faces first, so we don’t have a bunch of disembodied suits on a mountain."

Another chimed, "Regardless of your political bent, it is still a remarkable achievement. I enjoyed the museum, and it’s the story as much as the mountain itself." Meanwhile, the resurfaced photos had another quipping, "What is this? Mount Rushmore for ants?" As the comments of disbelief poured in, a netizen shared, "There is a time capsule built in a cave to the right of Lincoln's head. That wasn't in the original plans, and the government shut down that side project."