Women of Mount Rushmore

Carol Swenson Payne Pope, Gladys Swenson Hallsted Spotts, and Melba Swenson Payne pose on the porch of the bunkhouse and restaurant at Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial Archives, MORU 4138

When carving began on Mount Rushmore in 1927 just 20% of the female population was considered gainfully employed by the US Census Bureau. While it was uncommon for women to work outside of the home at the time, women did both paid and unpaid work to get Mount Rushmore made. During the 14-year carving process women never worked directly on the mountain but they filled many vital roles that allowed for the carving to take place.

Housekeeping –

Gladys Swenson and her sister Melba ran a bunkhouse and dinning room that served the workers. Between 10 to 14 men could stay in the bunk house for a dollar a day and approximately 25 workers could be fed for 35 cents a meal.

Sales –

Carol Swenson and Mrs. George Wilcox managed a small gift shop in Gutzon Borglum's studio from 1932 to 1942. The women also took on a role similar to todays interpretive rangers, answering visitor questions, provided information, and counted the number of visitors that came in.

Office Work –

Maxine Wasser, Miriam Hicks, and Ellen K. Kirk worked for the Mount Rushmore Commission, which was responsible for overseeing the carving process, as secretaries. They were paid on monthly basis, making less than $3 a day at best. Jean Phillips was responsible for correspondence and pay roll at Mount Rushmore and made $108.33 per month which is about 2/3 of what the male carvers made in a month.

Managment –

In 1929 Lorine J. Spoonts was selected to serve on the Mount Rushmore Memorial Commission by President Coolidge. A friend of Gutzon Borglum and passionate supporter of the monument, she called on her extensive network of friends across the country to help secure federal funding for the monument.

While these women weren't on the mountain carving the faces their contributions were vital to making this project happen. They were the ones interacting with visitors during the carving period, keeping the carvers fed and healthy, and ensuring all of the bureaucracy associate with a project of this scale was handled.