Not far away from Mt. Rushmore is the lesser known, but possibly more impressive, Crazy Horse Monument which memorializes the famous Lakota Indian Chief.
This was our first view as we pulled onto the property, a couple miles away from the mountain. This monument is so huge, it can be seen from substantial distances and is many times larger than Mt. Rushmore.
The Crazy Horse Monument sculpture was begun by a self-taught Boston-born sculptor of Polish decent, named Korczak Ziolkowski in 1948. (They just refer to him as, “Korczak,” as not many folks can pronounce his last name.)
Later he married and had 10 children, five boys and five girls. Since they were in a rather remote location, he brought in a one-room school house and a certified teacher. Most of his children were educated there through grade school.
The boys grew up helping their father on the mountain and the girls assisting their mother in the ever-expanding Visitor Center.
The self-taught sculptor also was a teacher at heart, and he schooled his family in every aspect of Crazy Horse, including the special skills of mountain carving.
As adults, seven of the ten children have been actively involved in the project, even today. Since their father’s death in 1982, they work under their mother, Ruth’s direction. Grandchildren also are now participating.
(One of the daughters had passed away just four weeks ago. She was in charge of the museum, and employees spoke of her with a definite sense of loss.)
Korczak’s wife, Ruth, now in her late 80’s, is still quite involved in day-to-day operations. Her original log cabin home is now surrounded by (and attached to) theVisitor Center and that is where she still lives. Of course that part is not open to the public, but they say she often comes out among the visitors.
This is a picture of what the mountain looked like in 1960. Don visited Crazy Horse in 1962, fourteen years after the start of the project. The face was not finished until 1998.
The Crazy Horse Monument mountain crew uses precision explosive engineering to carefully and safely remove and shape the rock (solid granite) of the mountain. Since the 1998 dedication of the face, the work has focused on blocking out the horse’s head. Now they are working on the arm and hand.
On the day we were there we were able to see some blasting take place on the mountain.
We also took a bus ride up to just below the mountain to see the monument up closer.
Being near the base of the monument gives you a better feel for how massive this entire mountain really is.
You also get a good look at the face which is amazing. The "crown" on his head is something they used to use for the critical measurements before the use of GPS and lasers. They would drop plumb blobs down from the cage for the amazingly accurate measurements. They have left it there so people can see how it used to be done.
This is a model of the finished carving. The face on the mountain is an extremely accurate rendition of the model…but many times larger.
To show what the completed project will look like, this is a superimposed drawing on top of the mountain as it is at this time.
The project includes much more than just the sculpture. The final campus will also include a college for Indian students among numerous other amenities. There is already an impressive museum and restaurant in the Visitor Center.
There is no time frame for completion of the mountain or the campus. Much depends on funds, of course. The project is totally funded by entrance fees and donations. There is no government money involved.
We were about ready to leave when they announced some Lakota dancers would be performing, so we stayed a bit longer and enjoyed watching these young people.
There is so much more to know about the Crazy Horse Monument than I can tell you here. I would encourage you to Google, ‘Crazy Horse Monument,’ for more information.
After we left Crazy Horse, we drove through part of Custer State Park to get back to our RV park. This is another place where we would like to spend more time.
There are interesting roads to drive here…but just not in the motorhome!
Next: Bear Country USA
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