Day 21.2– Crazy Horse


Just a bit west of the Mt. Rushmore National Monument is a lesser-known mountain carving. This one is a tribute to the Native American cultures that have called the Black Hills their home for years uncounted. These lands are sacred to many tribes and their ancestors are buried in locations throughout the Black Hills.

The vision of Chief Henry Standing Bear was to have a tribute to the North American Indians and their great heros. He invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve a whole mountain into the figure of the famous Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse. This project began in 1948, not long after the completion of Mt. Rushmore, and will not be finished until long after we, of Woodsprairie, have passed away.  Unlike the federally funded Mt. Rushmore, this project is completely funded by entrance fees and private donations. 

We first saw the mountain in 1982 when the face of Crazy Horse had just been roughed out and there was a hint of where his arm would be. The next time we were in the Black Hills and stopped at the mountain in 2000, the face was taking shape. Also, the museum facilities had been improved. 

Our next visit was in 2018, by then the face of Crazy Horse was completed, and his hand had been roughed out. There was a large expansion of the museum. It now housed many artifacts from not only the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota tribes, but also artifacts from many other tribes across North America had been gifted to the museum.  There were artists from the local tribes who shared their heritage with visitors. 

On this trip we were happy to see the progress of the sculpture. Not only the face, but the hand had been finished as well. They have started to rough out where the horse’s head will be and more of the learning facilities have been expanded. 

We noted some interesting comparisons of the dimensions of the Crazy Horse sculpture with other famous landmarks. The overall sculpture when finished will be 563 feet high as compared to the Mt. Rushmore heads at 60 feet, the Sphinx at 70 feet, and the Washington Monument at 555 feet. The horses head alone will be 219 feet.  

Will we be able to return in another 15 to 20 years to see the progress of the mountain carving? We hope so, but if not, future generations will continue to look on the progress and marvel at the perseverance and vision a project of this magnitude entails


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