Crazy Horse Memorial, Black Hills, South Dakota

The Crazy Horse Memorial sculpture was begun in a huge stone mountain in the Black Hills more than sixty-five years ago.  The first blast, in fact, occured on June 3, 1948.  When completed the three dimensional rock memorial to America's native people will be, by far, the greatest and largest stone sculpture in the world. 


Crazy Horse as it looks now.
Visitors support the mountain carving.
No state or federal funds are accepted.

Crazy Horse will be cut along the white marks
Completed, the memorial will be 641 feet long and 563 feet tall.

Landon and Marcella had seen the Crazy Horse Memorial once already, but went with us to see it on this day.  Wayne and I love visiting tourist attractions with them as they are never in a hurry and they never give away the punch line before the end.  Terrific people.

We stopped for lunch at Black Hills Burger and Bun as we drove through Custer.  I really liked the burger we'd eaten there the week before Marcella and Landon arrived.  It was really too cool and windy to sit outside but we had Lexie and Ozzie with us and the sun made the car too warm sooooo..... you get the picture.  I still feel bad for having everybody sit outside.

Wayne, Landon, me and the furkids

The gang of "three plus two" adorn this Custer, SD mural.

Our first stop at the memorial was to see the film about the history of  Crazy Horse Memorial. We sat on the front row. The small theater was about half full. As the film started I could hear talking -- most of it coming from the people sitting to our left.  Suddenly, I heard Landon's thundering voice belt out "If you want to talk... leave!". The theater fell silent except for the sound of the film.  You just gotta love this big guy.

The Crazy Horse Memorial receives absolutely NO government funding.
As a matter of fact government funding has been turned down.

Lakota (American Indian) tribe leaders invited Korczak Ziolkowski to create the memorial to the great Lakota warrior. Crazy Horse led the massacre upon General Armstrong Custer's U.S. Cavalry troops at Little Bighorn. Korczak Ziolkowski was a World's Fair prize-winning sculptor who had worked with Gutzon Borglum on the Mount Rushmore project.

 Too much back light for a good photo so I'll just take a picture of the effort.

This is the only museum I know that allows dogs -- but not on the floor. 

The white scale model of Crazy Horse to our immediate right is 1/34 of the actual stone sculpture.
The actual Crazy Horse Memorial is in the background.

Wayne and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial; thanks in no small part to being with good friends who provided plenty of laughs.   In the end, Marcella and I wrangled enough money from the husbands to support our souvenir habit. This time it would be beautiful, handmade Llama jackets for each of us.  Pictures forthcoming...

Sadly, the burgers we ate for lunch might have been the cause of some gastric trouble for Landon and Marcella as they were a little "pale" the next day.