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Subscribe to RSSI first saw the Crazy Horse Monument 20 years ago. It seemed impossibly large. I’m sort of amazed that they’ve made this much progress.
Read more about the monument at its official website.
Gred Orred / EPA
The giant face of Chief Crazy Horse is slowly taking shape at the Crazy Horse Memorial that is being carved out of Thunder Mountain in the Black Hills near Custer, South Dakota. The massive undertaking, originally the creation and idea of Polish-American artist and sculptor Korczak Ziokowski, was started in 1948, and it might be the largest sculpture in the world measuring when completed at 641 feet wide and 563 feet high. The head of Crazy Horse is 87 feet high. In comparison, the faces of the US president carved in Mt. Rushmore are 60 feet high. Ziokowski with approval from Chief Standing Bear and other Native Americans envisioned not only a monument to Native Americans, but also an educational and cultural center that currently includes the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Cultural Center as well as workshops for Native American. Ziokowski and his relatives have refused government funding for the non-profit project and instead rely on donations and admissions to the memorial for funding to complete the Crazy Horse Memorial.
(Bottom) The Crazy Horse Memorial at Thunder Mountain is lit up in the evening prior to the laser light show in the Black Hills near Custer, South Dakota on Aug. 11, 2010.
Mike Nelson / EPA
Slow, steady progress with Crazy Horse
Explore related topics: arts, featured, south-dakota, native-american, sculpture, monument, black-hills, crazy-horse
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I really have to ask, WHAT IS WITH THIS FIXATION ON COMPLETION that some commenters have??? How self-centred to believe that everything must be completed in their life-time! People who have a true understanding of the beauty and enjoyment of life are aware that "it is the journey, not the destination" that matters most. The rapid completion of a project is an anxiety-prone "white-man's concept". (I know, because I'm white, but less anal than most.) Let's let those who are in charge of this immense project work at their own pace, and spare them the negativity and judgement. (I'm picturing these judgemental types as Olympic judges holding up their cards with numbers on them. They would certainly have given high marks for some of the megaprojects completed by governments and private industry - most of which have turned out to be environmental disasters, now that we know more about their environmental impact. If those projects had gone more slowly, it might have given their opponents enough time to convince people not to complete them. So much for speedy completions!)
And those who have been whining about the "slow" progress should try chiselling even a small statue out of stone. Then have a closer look at this incredibly huge project. They might then have more respect for the rate of progress. I want to thank Kathy and some of the other commenters who have helped frame a more accurate picture about what is going on at this amazing project.
When I see this monument, I can't help but think of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. That's been going on for even longer, but you don't see people complaining to pay to see an uncompleted cathedral because it is one of a kind in the world. So is Crazy Horse. Like the Sagrada Familia, they can't work on it all the time because they have to wait for money to trickle in. I respect them refusing Federal funds - we ought to spend that money instead on improving the lives of actual Indians and let the Crazy Horse monument be a monument to what their nation can accomplish without the US Government.
Great! I first saw it in 1965. I will see it again in 2011.. You who feel it is not worthy should stop and think more clearly!!! This country was the land of the Indians and honoring one of the great chiefs is great!! Maybe some day they will honor you? Who knows it may happen.
Richar, I hope you are able to go during the Volksmarch and get to walk to the top! It is incredibly impressive from standing on the outstretched arm and you'd be able to see all of the changes up close and personal.
This monument has really picked up the pace lately, currently working on the 320' step, meaning 320' from the top. As of this writing, 1-28-11, they have already made three large blasts this year. It's the ninth of eleven steps. The 300' step was finished in 2010, when they finish the 360' step they will be ready to start finish work on the horses head. The idea of these steps, or benches as they call them, is that the mountain is very wide, it needs to be narrowed significantly to continue the finish work. The top of the mountain obviously wasn't extremely restrictive width wise, because mountains tend to be narrow at the top and much wider at the base. for every 20' feet they go down the mountain gets significantly wider, and much more material must be removed to bring it in to the area that will be carved, again they have done this down to where they are working 320 down from the top of the mountain. That's a football field standing on end.
My biggest issue with Crazy Horse these days is they simply do not provide good viewing for this process, in person or in the media. The work is very inspiring when viewed from a perspective looking head on to Crazy Horse, as if he were pointing in your direction. There are some pictures here and there and videos of people flying by in helicopters and such that can be found if searched for. But from the visitors center viewpoint, it's not possible to get the depth perception needed to see the progress. And as might be expected from the viewpoint I would like to see them show, you lose depth perception going across the mountain the length of the arm. Between the two views you grasp how incredibly large and three dimensional it is, and also how quickly they're narrowing a mountain to the size it needs to be for a sculpture.