Govt Shutdown Closes Mt. Rushmore?

Did park officials in South Dakota prevent visitors from viewing Mt. Rushmore during the government shutdown?

It’s true.

The image depicting two helicopters obscuring the monument with a giant sheet, however, is false.

The Argus Leader reported that cones lined highway viewing areas outside of the park on October 1. The cones were placed by the National Park Service, which prevented visitors from pulling over and viewing the monument.

The report stated, “The state asked that they be taken down, and federal officials did so with some of them. The state was told the cones were a safety precaution to help channel cars into viewing areas rather than to bar their entrance.”

Fake Image

A fake image showing helicopters obscuring the view of Mt. Rushmore has been circulated online. The image has been used by some bloggers to symbolically represent the closure, although some readers have not realized the image is fake.

Real Image

Unlike the fake image above, Argus Leader published a real photo which showed highways lined with cones, preventing visitors from viewing the monument.

The Buffalo News also reported on October 2 that, “The entrance to the park, parking lots and highway pull-off areas where people usually are allowed to stop their vehicles for photographs of the monument all were blocked to any traffic.”

Bottom Line

Officials have closed off highways around Mt. Rushmore, preventing visitors from viewing the monument. There has not, however, been a giant sheet placed over the monument.

Sources

• Area tour group denied entry to Mount Rushmore (Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News: October 2, 2013)
• Mount Rushmore blockage stirs anger in South Dakota (Jonathan Ellis, ArgusLeader.com: October 5, 2013 – Offline)