Carved from the face of a granite cliff over a period of 14 years (1927-41) by Gutzon Borglum, Mt. Rushmore was intended as a homage to democracy and the great American presidents who led the country from the colonial period through to the 20C, namely George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The Avenue of Flags, along which every US state and territory is represented by its flag, leads to the Grand View Terrace and the Lincoln Borglum Museum.