On July 3rd, 1991, President George H.W. Bush attends a dedication ceremony recognizing the fiftieth anniversary of the completion of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
The 50th anniversary of the completion of the memorial was also called a formal dedication ceremony. Over 35 hundred people attended. And along with the President and first lady, celebrities Barry Bostwick, Billy Dee Williams, Barbara Eden, and Jimmy Stewart, each paid tribute to a president on the memorial.
During the 75-minute program, President Bush spoke of the presidents enshrined on the mountain saying “Today we must build on their beginnings. ″We must continue to preserve our greatness while pushing back the limits of our imagination.”
″We must teach our children the responsibility that comes with freedom,″ he said. ″We must remind them of the endless possibilities of the American dream.″ Bush said the nation faces enormous challenges. ″But remember, this is America, and here great things are possible. ″Look at the vast sculpture before us,″ he said, ″and you see carved in stone a symbol that evokes the American character, soaring and unafraid.″
As part of their visit to the Black Hills, the President, and First Lady hiked, fished, and picnicked after the ceremonies at Mount Rushmore. A July 4, 1991, headline in the Rapid City Journal proclaimed "Bush lands five trout" at Horse Thief Lake
Production help is provided by Brad Tennant, Dakota Wesleyan University
