History
| The Rushmore Aerial Tramway was finished in 1965. Originally it consisted of 4 sets of covered cars as seen below. Its sole purpose was as a sight-seeing chairlift. The view of Mt. Rushmore shown is the one visible from the Mountain Top Park. At the summit, viewing decks were built, and walking trails, waterfalls and flower beds were created using the native granite. All these are still in use today. |
At one point in time the Mountain Top Park contained several sculptures. Some of these were created by Lincoln Borglum, the son of Mt. Rushmore’s sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. Unfortunately vandals have since destroyed these works of art.
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| From the top of the hill one gets a unique perspective of the surrounding area.
Visitors can easily see how isolated and rugged this area would have been at the time Borglum chose Mt. Rushmore as the sight to carve his Shrine of Democracy. One can still see old gold mines and the historic mining town of Keystone from this birds-eye view. |
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| In 1999 new owners took possession of the Tramway. Almost all elements of the attraction were renovated and updated. By midsummer of 2000, the Summit Grille was completed, allowing guests to linger on the beautiful park-like hilltop while enjoying food and beverages. Restrooms were another welcome addition! |
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| During the winter/spring of 2001-2002 the alpine slide was built. To accommodate the sleds and the anticipated increased number of riders, the tram was converted to a chairlift with 36 chairs replacing the 16 tramway gondolas. |
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| Other additions include hiking trails off the back side of the summit, and the planting of an exquisite flower garden which grows more beautiful with each successive season. |
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For the future: we may add a zipline that would fall 320 vertical feet! We’ll see.
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