Crazy Horse Memorial

Part of our bus tour was a visit to Crazy Horse Memorial.  Sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski who worked on  Mount Rushmore, met with Chief Henry Standing Bear of the Lakota Sioux and together they decided to undertake a memorial project to Native American Heroes.  Standing Bear's commission stated in part "My fellow Chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes too.".

Construction began in 1948 and is still far from completion. All funding is through the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a private, non-profit organization. It does not receive federal or state funding and has actually refused  2 - 10 million offers in the past from the federal government.  Ziolkowski died in 1982 and never saw the completion of the head which was finished in 1998.  His wife and seven of their 10 children work at the memorial.  A private investor has pledged $1 million a year for five years as matching donations were raised specifically to further work on the horse's head. Much of the earth moving equipment used is donated by corporations.


Crazy Horse was chosen as the symbol to represent all of the fallen Native American Heroes because it is believed his character represented the values that many Native tribes held dear, such as bravery, dedication to his people and a modest lifestyle.  There was some controversy in the choosing of the image of a man who refused to be photographed during his lifetime and who's wish was to be buried  where his grave would not be found.


The next step is completion of the head of the horse on which the warrior sits.  Once finished the 563 foot high mountain carving in the round will dominate the horizon.  Visitors will be able to drive around the spring-fed lake to the other side of the sculpture.  Once completed it will also include a satellite campus of the University of South Dakota.

Outline of where the horse's head will be carved.

Cast of how it will look at completion.  The size of the horse's head will be an overall height of 219 feet, the ears will be 42 feet long, the eyes will be 16 feet wide, 13 feet high, the nostrils will be 35 feet in diameter and 50 feet deep.  The horse's mane will be 62 feet high and Crazy Horse's hand will be 33 feet high.    As a comparison:   Crazy Horse will be 563 feet in the round, the largest Pyramid is 481 feet and the Washington Monument is 555 feet.  The head will be 87 feet high in comparison to the heads on Mount Rushmore at 60 feet high.

The complex now includes a Indian museum,  Native American Cultural Center, view of Ziolkowski's studio and a gift shop.

 Ziolkowski suggested the sculpture to be carved in the Wyoming Tetons because the rock was better for sculpting,  the Sioux leader insisted it be carved in the Black Hills, which are a sacred  burial ground for the  Lakota culture.

"My lands are where my dead lie buried" was reportedly said by Crazy Horse, and that is the symbolism of his extended hand.

Ziolkowski's oil painting of his wife, Ruth and a sculptured bust of him on a pedestal behind her.

Ziolkowski's bronze sculpture of Chief Standing Bear.

 Granite self portrait sculpture.

Bronze Fighting Stallions, another Ziolkowski's work of art, grace the entrance of the memorial.

The bus tour really didn't allow  sufficient time to see everything that is there, but we enjoyed what we did see.  We mentioned to each other that we will come back when it is finished, but quickly realized at the current rate of completion we will either be too old or in another world!

Hope all is well!