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The 'Mount Rushmore Mascots' visit Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

The 'Mount Rushmore Mascots' at the main entrance to Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace N.H.S.

NPS

On November, 26, 2013, visitors and staff at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace received a pre-holiday visit by four very special individuals who many people will recognize from one of the National Park Service's most famous and recognizable national monuments.

The 'Mount Rushmore Mascots' visited New York City, courtesy of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, to spread awareness for the State of South Dakota.

Joined by South Dakota's Secretary of Tourism James Hagen, as well as photographers and videographers, the mascots visited iconic sites around New York City, including Federal Hall National Memorial, and marched in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Their travels around the United States have not only boosted tourism for the state, but also for Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

 

A Theodore Roosevelt mascot invites visitors to tour the boyhood home of our 26th president.

NPS

Theodore Roosevelt, as well as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln were immortalized in the granite face of Mount Rushmore by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum.

The project began in 1927 and concluded in 1941.

Tourism is South Dakota's second-largest industry, and Mount Rushmore is the state's top tourist attraction.The memorial hosts nearly three million visitors a year.

 

Theodore and his friends gather around the piano in the parlor.

NPS

On the day of their arrival in Gramercy Park, Theodore Roosevelt's childhood neighborhood, pedestrians on East 20th Street were delighted, and automobile traffic came to a standstill, as Theodore and his friends posed for photographs outside the home.

Holiday shoppers joined in, taking photos and meeting the mascots. Theodore then proceeded to invite George, Thomas, and Abe into the home of his birth for a ranger-led tour and more photo taking.

Follow these links to learn more about the Mount Rushmore Mascots, Mount Rushmore National Monument, and the South Dakota Department of Tourism,