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Road Trip - Crazy Horse
Camera: K5 Photo Location: South Dakota 
Posted By: daacon, 08-16-2013, 07:41 AM

After Mount Rushmore we headed to Custer to check into our hotel for a couple of days. On the way we saw the Crazy Horse monument so we decided what the heck we are here. This structure has a pretty impressive history. As the wikipedia article suggests this has been under construction since 1948 and has no end date in site. It will not be completed in my lifetime , and likely not even my kids lifetime. The pointing fingers were projected to be finished in 2025.

This structure unlike Mount Rushmore is privately funded. This would explain the $10.00 per person entry fee. What history we also learned was that it was started by one man Korczak Ziolkowski. He had 5 sons who on various occasions helped him. Today there are 10 people working on it , including one of Korczak's sons. Of the 10 people working on there today 9 of them have been there more than 20 years - so for the last 20 years these guys go to 'office' and blast and carve away.

Another tidbit was apparently there were no photographs of Crazy Horse so a group of people that knew him got together with an artist to reconstruct a likeness from memory.

A little history stolen from Wikipedia :

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument complex that is under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota. It depicts Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, to be sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski. It is operated by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a private non-profit organization.

The memorial consists of the mountain carving (monument), the Indian Museum of North America, and the Native American Cultural Center. The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain on land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota, between Custer and Hill City, roughly 17 miles from Mount Rushmore. The sculpture's final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet (195 m) wide and 563 feet (172 m) high. The head of Crazy Horse will be 87 feet (27 m) high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet (18 m) high.

Click on image twice for larger view

The monument has been in progress since 1948 and is far from completion.[1] If completed, it may become the world's largest sculpture, as well as the first non-religious statue to hold this record since 1967 (when it was held by the Soviet monument The Motherland Calls.[2])

#1 - Our $20.00 and this is a close as we could get. It did grant us access to the Museum and some of the films , however we were here to see the face.


#2 - so for another $4,00 a person we took the bus which at least allowed us to see more than the profile. The white chalk line you see is the horses head. Once completed this will be one impressive structure


#3


#4


#5 - the detail is impressive


#6


#7 - This shot looks like the lobotomy is not quite finished


#8


Last edited by daacon; 08-16-2013 at 07:49 AM.
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08-16-2013, 07:54 AM   #2
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An interesting place - a monumental effort, indeed. Great photos.

Jer
08-16-2013, 08:10 AM   #3
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They have accomplished little since I was there 15 years ago... it makes it wonder if it will ever be finished, I'm guessing , not in my life time... I really enjoyed the museum there. Thanks for the photos.
08-16-2013, 08:43 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
They have accomplished little since I was there 15 years ago... it makes it wonder if it will ever be finished, I'm guessing , not in my life time... I really enjoyed the museum there. Thanks for the photos.
Norm, I've lived in South Dakota for 35 years now. There has been relatively little progress in that time. I know things like this never happen, but I'm completely open to the possibility that it is a scam that was never intended to be completed. It is funded by donations and visitor fees. Once completed, the donations will stop, substantially reducing the income of the Ziolkowsk family.

08-16-2013, 09:10 AM   #5
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I was there a couple years back. Took the bus ride...

I think they said the horse might be mostly done in 20 years or so.
08-16-2013, 10:01 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
Norm, I've lived in South Dakota for 35 years now. There has been relatively little progress in that time. I know things like this never happen, but I'm completely open to the possibility that it is a scam that was never intended to be completed. It is funded by donations and visitor fees. Once completed, the donations will stop, substantially reducing the income of the Ziolkowsk family.
I would expect that to be pretty much the prevailing opinion amongst South Dakotans, thanks for expressing it. Everyone looks at ways to maximize their income.. I guess the Ziolkowskis are supposed to be some kind of socialistic saints. At least that's what's inferred. Personally, I hope they make a pile of money doing this. As much as they can squeeze out of it. I would have had the same feelings if a native South Dakotan was doing it, but hey, you can only ask for so much.

I'll just say, for those of us familiar with Native American pipe culture, the fact that they have Sitting Bull's pipe on display makes it worth the price of admission..most of us would pay more.
08-16-2013, 01:53 PM   #7
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We visited here in the 90's and again in 2010, nothing had changed except the admission price. This is a cash cow and will never be finished, what a shame. You really got some great photos Dave, enjoyed the view.

08-19-2013, 01:03 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sailor Quote
An interesting place - a monumental effort, indeed. Great photos.
Jer
Thanks Jer it was a pretty neat place.

QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
They have accomplished little since I was there 15 years ago... it makes it wonder if it will ever be finished, I'm guessing , not in my life time... I really enjoyed the museum there. Thanks for the photos.
Thanks Norm - I suspected as much (not much completed) did not spend a lot of time in the museum (we were getting hangry ) but it was a neat place.

QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
Norm, I've lived in South Dakota for 35 years now. There has been relatively little progress in that time. I know things like this never happen, but I'm completely open to the possibility that it is a scam that was never intended to be completed. It is funded by donations and visitor fees. Once completed, the donations will stop, substantially reducing the income of the Ziolkowsk family.
Thanks Jim that makes sense and I don't begrudge the $$ to get in as I will likely never be in the area again.

QuoteOriginally posted by SpecialK Quote
I was there a couple years back. Took the bus ride...
I think they said the horse might be mostly done in 20 years or so.
Thanks SpeciakK - from what Jim says there may never be any more done.
08-19-2013, 01:05 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
I would expect that to be pretty much the prevailing opinion amongst South Dakotans, thanks for expressing it. Everyone looks at ways to maximize their income.. I guess the Ziolkowskis are supposed to be some kind of socialistic saints. At least that's what's inferred. Personally, I hope they make a pile of money doing this. As much as they can squeeze out of it. I would have had the same feelings if a native South Dakotan was doing it, but hey, you can only ask for so much.

I'll just say, for those of us familiar with Native American pipe culture, the fact that they have Sitting Bull's pipe on display makes it worth the price of admission..most of us would pay more.
I would agree on both points.

QuoteOriginally posted by Bob Harris Quote
We visited here in the 90's and again in 2010, nothing had changed except the admission price. This is a cash cow and will never be finished, what a shame. You really got some great photos Dave, enjoyed the view.
Thanks Bob - if you look at what everything else costs these days - we spent , $30.00 between us and saw something we will likely never see again. Fair deal in my books.
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