Mount Rushmore is an American national monument featuring the sculpted heads of former U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These presidents were chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation. The monument is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The construction and carving of the monument began on October 4, 1927, and was completed nearly 14 years later, on October 31, 1941. Since then, it has become a major attraction for tourists passing through the area.
Mount Rushmore was used as a hideout by the current president in the aftermath of the ape rebellion and a nuclear war. Inside the memorial, there was a hall of archives and all the supplies necessary for long-term survival. A generator kept the electricity running. While in hiding, the chief advisor and the president discussed the implications of the ape uprising and how their only chance for survival would be to brainwash the apes using the Psychedrome, turning them into cannon fodder. Over the years, the exterior of the monument wore down, with three of the heads losing their noses, leaving Lincoln as the only one to retain his.
Long after the passing of the president and his companions, Lightsmith discovered the hideout inside Mount Rushmore and used the supplies left behind to aid him in his journey across the country, along with his companion, Gilbert. Thanks to recordings of the president and the chief advisor discussing the Psychedrome, Lightsmith embarked on a quest to find it, hoping to restore the world to its former state. He traveled for a time until their supplies ran out; whenever that happened, Lightsmith would return to Mount Rushmore, which he had now dubbed "Lightning Smith's Lost Mount Mug-Face".
Once the duo of hotshots met Jason, Alexander, and Malaguena, they were led to the mount, climbing a ladder up to Lincoln’s nose, which led them to the main area of the hideout. The space was equipped with everything needed, and Lightsmith remarked that while he had tried to bring in larger objects, he found it impossible to understand how the ancients had managed to get their supplies inside.
Later that night, the Assisimians attacked the Wonder Wagon where Gilbert was sleeping. He alerted the others at the mount, and they quickly devised a plan: Alexander and Jason would jump from above the mount and throw grenades at the Assimians, while Lightsmith and Malagueña would follow, shooting as they went. Though their plan initially seemed successful, the Assimians didn’t retreat, forcing the group to escape in the wagon and abandon the hideout.
While escaping Washington, D.C. by helicopter, General Akins asked if they could reach the secure bunker at Mount Rushmore to protect President Trundy. However, due to insufficient fuel, they were forced to head to Fort Liberty instead.
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According to author Ty Templeton a cut scene from Revolution on the Planet of the Apes would have occurred within Mount Rushmore—an homage to Marvel's "Terror on the Planet of the Apes," in which that story's heroes found the bunker's remains and a human corpse inside Lincoln's nose. Templeton says the cut scene would have revealed the body to have been Trundy's vice president, whom the Marvel series named Henry.[1]
Trivia[]
Out of universe, in our reality, Mount Rushmore features an unfinished chamber behind the Abraham Lincoln head known as "The Hall of Records." This chamber was designed to preserve the story and significance behind the memorial. Although it is not accessible to the public, it serves as a time capsule, intended for future generations who may seek to understand the monument's historical importance.[2]
While never explicitly explained in any media, it is entirely plausible that the Hall of Records was fully completed in-universe. It may have even been expanded into the secret bunker inside Abraham Lincoln's head, constructed in response to the looming threat of nuclear war. This addition could have been commissioned either by the president in office during the memorial's construction or by the president who faced the ape rebellion.
