WHAT: A new behind-the-scenes story about the creation of a famous National Memorial
This is an unknown Mount Rushmore story told from a distinct personal and historic vantage point that adds real life, depth, heart and dimension to what we know about the iconic American monument.
From primary personal and historic sources researched by the grandson of Mount Rushmore's chief carver, Luigi Del Bianco (bio), comes a story previously untold. It celebrates and shares true-life accounts and anecdotes about a significant time in American life (1927-1941); and through the experience of a talented and lesser-known Italian immigrant honored to carve images of U.S. presidents from a mountain. It tells a behind-the-scenes story that invites us all to take a closer look at a national icon.
FROM PRIMARY SOURCE RESEARCH:
Mount Rushmore designer Gutzon Borglum described Chief Carver Luigi DelBianco: "the only stone carver on the work who understands the language of the sculptor."
(About Del Bianco or "Bianco" as he was called): "He is worth any three men I could find in America."
When Del Bianco quit for a time, EVERYBODY had to stop work on the faces. Gutzon Borglum, Mount Rushmore's designer, wooed him back by paying part of DelBianco's salary out of his own pocket.
"The loss of Bianco will probably prevent the finishing of the Washington and Jefferson heads this year…."
(Please see Borglum and "Bianco")
WHO:
When he was in second grade, Lou DelBianco (bio), Luigi DelBianco's grandson, discovered pamphlets on Mount Rushmore and was told by his mother that his grandfather had been its Chief Carver. A new-found confidence to an otherwise painfully shy boy set in as he presented his Mount Rushmore story to classmates the following day. All these years later, he shares this truly interesting story that personally reaches beyond his family line to touch others because it tells of an immigrant's story, a family's story, American workers' story and a slice of American life from 1927-1941 during the creation of Mount Rushmore. (Please see FAQ) |
