South Dakota

I always try to stop a few places when I’m here in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Custer State Park is one place and the Crazy Horse Memorial is the second. It is located between Hill City and Custer, SD on SD HWY 16/385. The Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to protect and preserve the cultures, traditions, and living heritage of all North American Indians. After the 1939 World’s Fair, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowki (1908-1982) was invited by Chief Henry Standing Bear to the Black Hills to carve Crazy Horse. He did not immediately agree but after some time he accepted. He along with his wife Ruth Ross (1926-2014) raised 10 children who took part in this dream. Some of his grandchildren carry on the project today.

It was a cloudy day with the mountain completely fogged in when I arrived

Work officially began June 3, 1948. The first several years were spent building roads, house for Korczak, and staircase with over 700 steps to the top. The face which is the most recognizable feature to date was not completed until 1998. With modern equipment, the speed has picked up but it is still tedious work. Korczak knew it would not be completed in his lifetime but he vowed to work for as long as he could. His drawings and surveys are still used today as construction continues.

The project, The Indian Museum of North America, and The Indian University of North America are privately funded by donations and admissions to the complex. The sculpture itself is about a mile from the main complex buildings but they offer a bus ride to the base of the mountain for a small fee. If you visit, the trip to the base is worth the fee (I think it’s $5). It is an incredibly beautiful site and you might even see some mountain goats who like to hang out in the area.

To learn more about the memorial or make a donation, visit their website at crazyhorsememorial.org

“Never Forget Your Dreams.” - Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski

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