South Dakota is home to Mount Rushmore which represents the birth, growth, development, and preservation of the United States of America. It has become one of the most famous mountain carvings in the world as well as a top draw for tourists in South Dakota. However, located within the vicinity of Mount Rushmore is another monument dedicated to a very different cultural endeavor that is set to be even bigger.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument currently under construction. Depicting the Oglala Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing into the distance, it was created to show everyone that the United States was not the only culture with heroes. Many have and continue to interpret the monument in different ways, and that impact underscores the overt and subtle power these types of monuments can have on the people and culture of an entire region.
The Life and Legacy of Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a warrior and leader from the Oglala Lakota who took part in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, which resulted in an overwhelming victory over the United States army. Crazy Horse is directly and indirectly referenced in memorials at the site of the battle. Fatally wounded by a military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment in 1877, he became and remains one of the most notable and iconic Native American tribal members.
In October 1931, Luther Standing Bear came up with the idea of seeing Crazy Horse carved into a mountain near Mount Rushmore. He believed it would be, “most fitting to have the face of Crazy Horse sculpted there. Crazy Horse is the real patriot of the Sioux tribe and the only one worthy to place by the side of Washington and Lincoln.”
In 1939, Chief Henry Standing Bear of the Lakota people, who was Luther Standing Bear’s brother, commissioned sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve a memorial that would showcase this hero of the Lakota culture. Although no portraits of Crazy Horse the person are known to exist, the sculpture was envisioned as a metaphoric tribute to the spirit of Crazy Horse to honor all indigenous people of North America.
On June 3, 1948, Ziolkowski, blasted the first cuts into Thunderhead Mountain, land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota. Ziolkowski spent the rest of his life trying to see the vision of the monument completed, but that task eventually fell to his descents and to the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation. The Foundation manages the project and does not accept government funding, which is part of the reason the piece has not been completed. All of the work done on the sculpture comes in through admission fees and private donations.
Workers completed the carved 87½-foot-tall Crazy Horse face in 1998. Since then, they’ve been focused on thinning the remaining mountain to form the 219-foot-high horse’s head. Once completed, the monument will be 563 feet high and 641 feet long, making it the world’s largest mountain carving.
The Mission of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is to protect and preserve the culture, tradition and living heritage of the North American Indians. This mission is directly reflected in all of the experiences that have been enabled at and around the monument.
Speakers, Light Shows, Night Blasts and More
Open year-round between Custer and Hill City in South Dakota, and about 17 miles from Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial Complex has numerous features and attractions. That includes the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Educations and Cultural Center, and the Sculptor’s Studio Home and Workshop.
More than 12,000 contemporary and historic items reside in the Complex, while the Mountain Museum wing helps explain the work behind the scenes, augmenting the introductory “Dynamite & Dreams” movie at the Welcome Center. A rock box that was contained in the original lobby of the complex still remains, allowing visitors to take home a rock from the mountain.
Seasonal activities like the Talking Circle Speaker Series provide visitors with a whole different perspective on Native American culture. During the speaker series, Native artists, performers, and culture bearers share their knowledge and skill with visitors to the Memorial by offering a presentation about current cultural issues, traditions, and living heritage of North American Indians.
The “Legends in Light” laser show is a special effects program brought to life with dancing laser lights against the backdrop of the Crazy Horse Memorial itself. Presented nightly during specific times of the year, it uses the monument as a giant 500-foot “screen” for the laser display.
Two annual night blasts have become some of the most popular events at the monument. The spectacular ceremonial blasts light up the Mountain with incredible fireballs and specially designed pyrotechnical features.
The Crazy Horse Volksmarch is the most popular organized hike in the United States (15,000 walkers in a record year). This family event is sponsored by the Black Hills Chapter of the American Volkssport Association (AVA) and hosted by Crazy Horse Memorial.
All of these events and experiences are in addition to visitors’ interactions with the sculpture itself, which can include anything from taking photos from various places throughout the Complex to getting an up-close picture of the monument. All of these experiences have driven a notable economic and cultural impact to the region, some of which have driven further conversations about how the mounument fits into the community.
The Power of Monuments and Symbols
Admission to the Crazy Horse Memorial Complex is based on the number of people and vehicles coming in, although group rates are available. Once inside, the Laughing Water Restaurant as well as a snack and gift shop give visitors numerous food and souvenir options and provide the Memorial with another important means of direct revenue. The gift shop includes exclusive Crazy Horse Gifts and a huge selection of Native American crafted items such as beadwork, jewelry, paintings, and much more.
While visitors can take pictures of the Crazy Horse Memorial from various places thought out the complex, they can also become eligible for a trip to the top of the sculpture with a gift to the Crazy Horse memorial foundation. That type of donation allows visitors to become Storytellers that will receive free admission to the Memorial and progress updates.
These sources of direct revenue extend to conference facilities that residents can utilize as well. The Welcome Center houses conference facilities offering theater-style seating for up to 300 people, break-out and small group rooms, restaurant and food service on premises, reception, and banquet and buffet capabilities. The space is a fit for conferences, seminars, classes, board meetings, retreats, family reunions, or other special events.
The memorial is to be the centerpiece of an educational/cultural center that will also include a satellite campus of the University of South Dakota, with a classroom building and residence hall. The current visitor complex will anchor the center which will see it greatly expand on the visitors that it currently hosts, which are between 1 and 1½ million per year.
The transformation of the mountain and area is regarded as controversial to some though, as descendants of Crazy Horse said they were never asked if they approved of the project before the first sticks of dynamite were blown on land sacred to the Lakota. Others have argued that Crazy Horse himself would never have consented to see the mountain transformed in this way.
These conversations are indicative of the impact that monuments like the Crazy Horse Memorial can have for entire communities and regions. The economic and cultural impact of such monuments are very real and they drive the creation of a legacy for those communities and regions.
Honoring All Indigenous People of North America
The Crazy Horse Memorial is designed to honor all indigenous people of North America and symbolize the importance of reconciliation, tolerance, diversity and unity. Through it, visitors should be able to appreciate life’s deeper meaning as it has always been represented in Native American cultural values. Residents will be able to support or take part in that process in whatever way they wish.
By actively embracing such deep and profound cultural principles, the Crazy Horse Memorial has already established a legacy that will only become that much more complete and powerful as the monument itself fully transforms the space for the benefit of the entire region.
