Day 9 Thrusday 9-17-15 Crazy Horse Monument

The Crazy Horse Memorial is about six miles north of Custer, SD.

Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear contacted Korczak Ziolkowski a sculptor who gained recognition during the 1939 World’s Fair. “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes also.”  After agreeing to take on the project Korczak left New England and started work in 1948 with $174 in his pocket.  Ruth (Ross) Ziolowski, 18 years his junior, followed Korczak to South Dakota to work as a volunteer on the project.  They married Thanksgiving Day 1950.  Eventually they had 10 children.  Five boys and five girls.  After Korczak died in 1982 Ruth took over leadership and shifted focus to completing the Crazy Horses face to give the sculpture an image to be remembered.  Ruth passed away in 2014.  To date six children and several grandchildren continue to carry on the dream of Korczak and Standing Bear

Crazy Horse as seen from route US16

The face of Crazy Horse is three times the size
of the faces on Mt Rushmore

Chief Crazy Horse was selected as the subject for the monument because he was revered by many of the tribes of the Indian Nation.   He never signed a treaty.  He was asked by a white man “Where are your lands now?”  With his left hand thrown out pointing into the distance he answered “My lands are where my dead lie buried”.


The road to the base of the mountain.

We took a bus ride to the base of the mountain. 
The painted line on the horses face is three feet wide



Larry was our guide.
 He said he will answer any questions he knows the answer to...
 and if I don't know the answer...I'll come up with something.

 

 

 

 

 

We returned in the evening for supper at the Laughing Waters Restaurant.  After dark there is a light display and laser show called Legions in Light projected on the side of the monument.  I tried to record as much as possible but the auto focus was hard pressed to keep up.

The full picture of Crazy Horse is done in flashing light showing only about 1/3 of the whole picture at a time.  The flash is so fast you think it is a solid frame. Even the video camera could not keep up with the flashing. This is the best still shot I could get.

 
 

The Crazy Horse Monument project accepts no state of federal funds.  All of the capital is raised by visitors and donations to the Crazy Horse Foundation

 Pictures from just a few of the vast number of items inside and outside the American Indian Museum and the Korczak Ziolkowski Studio.

Making Dreamweaver Jewelry

Korczak Ziolkowski

Ruth Zilokowski

Young Lakota girl does a hoop dance.

The Indian University of North America opened in 2010 is an educational program supported by the Crazy Horse Foundation with the hopes of creating a four year degree program in medical care.