Crazy Horse Memorial

My XO Adventures Sightseeing Tour of the Southern Black Hills Includes Crazy Horse Memorial Tours.

When will we see a Finished Crazy Horse Memorial?

Crazy Horse Memorial is a monument in the Black Hills carved out of the granite of Thunderhead Mountain. Construction began with the first blasts in 1948, removing 10 tons of rock from the mountain.

Chief Crazy Horse is a revered Oglala Lakota Chief known for his skill, prowess, and humility. The monument is immense, and the progress is ongoing. The face of Crazy Horse is complete, and roughly eleven million tons of rock have been removed from the mountain. Crazy Horse fought to preserve the Lakota Way of life, and the monument is dedicated to all Native Americans. The monument serves to keep the Lakota story alive for eternity.

Crazy Horse fought to preserve the Lakota Way of life, and the monument is dedicated to all Native Americans. The monument serves to keep the Lakota story alive for eternity. We are often asked when Crazy Horse Memorial will be finished. There is no set a date for completion, and it could take 50-100 years to complete. Seeing the largest monument in the world in progress is fascinating.

We are often asked when Crazy Horse will be finished. There is no set date for completion, and it could take 50-100 years to complete. Seeing the largest monument in the world in progress is fascinating. Maybe when they've finished Crazy Horse Memorial, it will be returned to the Lakota. You never know!

Crazy Horse Memorial Tour Request

Crazy Horse Memorial Photos

Crazy Horse Memorial Rainbow

Scale Model of Crazy Horse on Thunder Mountain

Plaster Sculpture of Crazy Horse Depicting the Finished Monument

Crazy Horse Memorial Blue Skies, Crazy Horse Memorial, Crazy Horse Monument

Crazy Horse Memorial on a Clear Day

Museum Post Office

Guests at the Plaster Replica of Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse Finished with Memorial in the Background

Crazy Horse Monument Closeup

Crazy Horse Monument Progress

Boom used in the construction of Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse Museum Boom

Opinions on Crazy Horse Memorial

The progress may seem slow, but this is a privately funded project. No government money is involved. The project on Thunderhead Mountain has yet to set a completion date. How long will Crazy Horse Memorial take to finish? Nobody knows.

Chief Henry Standing Bear asked Polish Immigrant Korczak Ziolkowski to sculpt the memorial in the Black Hills after Mount Rushmore was completed. Unfortunately, Korczak passed away in 1980, leaving his wife Ruth and family to complete the project.

During the Season, you can visit the Native American Artist in Residency or see Living Treasures, Storytellers, Performers, or a Talking Circle. Crazy Horse Memorial has a restaurant called Laughing Water, which is open from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM during the season.

We believe in representing the monuments of the Black Hills honestly and transparently. There is no doubt that Crazy Horse is a significant and admirable person that one can look up to, emulate and become a better person in doing so. Mixed feelings exist about the monument. Some say it is a vulgar depiction of a humble man. It is improbable that a photo or painting exists of Crazy Horse. Nevertheless, some have surfaced and quickly debunked.

Other photos are still a matter that leaves plenty of doubt. Crazy Horse never sat for, posed, or allowed photos taken. He wanted nothing to do with the "White Way." One could conclude the destiny of Crazy Horse was to preserve the Lakota way of life and pay the price with his own. The museum hosts many historical artifacts, great information, and the original home of Korczak and Ruth Ziolkowski.

Little mention is made of Korczaks first wife, Dorothy Brewster Comstock. She came from a wealthy family and sued for divorce two years after Ruth Ross, later Ruth Ziolkowski, arrived with volunteers to help. Ruth was 24 years younger than Korczak. This relationship resulted in a daughter who is somewhat lost to obscurity.

Korczak claimed to have a special relationship with Crazy Horse; perhaps he did spiritually. Korczak and Ruth's daughter, Jadwiga Ziolkowski, claimed stories that the spirit of Crazy Horse never left the Black Hills. She asserted that Crazy Horse was waiting for a suitable host, and along came Korczak.

This notion, of course, lights another fire. Why would Crazy Horse enter the body of a white man to depict a gigantic statue, which is more about creating a counterpart to Mount Rushmore and a legacy for the Ziolkowski family than the man himself? You can draw your conclusions, but when viewing the movie at the visitor's center, note how much it speaks of Crazy Horse, the man vs. the hard work of Korczak and his family.

Interestingly, information about Crazy Horse is located in a small corner of the facility. The decided layout of the museum takes you to many other displays, but not Crazy Horse. So you're almost guaranteed to miss it. Korczak Ziolkowski admitted to having a large ego, contrary to the beliefs of the Lakota. Humility is highly valued. Korczak likely needed to learn the meaning of the word. There is no doubt that Korczak Ziolkowski was a dreamer. His family did work hard to construct the sculpture of Crazy Horse. Chief Standing Bear did want a monument depicting the Warrior Chief.

Gutzon Borglum kicked Korczak off the project at Mount Rushmore and had the skill to carry out the project. Carving the "Six Grandfathers" (Mount Rushmore) is no different than cutting Crazy Horse on Thunderhead Mountain.

Both are sacred in their natural form. Man creates both, and man cannot recreate the natural beauty both possessed before drilling and dynamite. What's done is done. Hate it or love it; both are here to stay. The honorable thing to do would be to expand on Lakota Culture. The governing bodies of both should be more diverse. The movies should be updated, the public educated, and proceeds better managed.

The Native American Indian School does good work, helping Native American students prepare for college. Performing Arts are provided on the outside deck, and a resident artist is usually present. Many good things come from the memorial, but the controversy is long from dead.

Last checked visitation to Crazy Horse Memorial trails Mount Rushmore by only a few hundred thousand. We hope the memorial evolves over time and with the guidance of the Oglala Lakota People. It is very much worth a visit, and we'll take you there.

Crazy Horse Memorial Activites

Van Rides to the Top of the Mountain
Bus Ride to the Front of the Mountain
Daily Cultural Performances
Mahkoche Kin: Land Tour by Darrell Red Cloud
Living Treasures Cultural Exchange
Artist In Residence
Legends In Light Laser Show
Gift from Mother Earth Art Show
Volksmarch
Native Americans' Day

10 Facts About Crazy Horse Memorial

1. Crazy Horse Memorial is the world’s largest mountain carving at 563 feet long and 641 feet high.
2. The monument has been in progress since 1948 and has no estimated completion date.
3. The memorial will depict the Lakota Sioux leader, Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing into the distance with his right arm while his left hand is stretched toward his people.
4. It was Korczak Ziolkowski’s vision to create a memorial for Native American culture and inspire young people of all cultures by showing them that an individual has the power to make a difference.
5. Crazy Horse was a humble man who probably would not want his likeness carved into a mountain. Ziolkowski believed it would be the best way to depict his spirit and legacy.
6. The massive undertaking may take 100 years or more to complete.
7. Approximately 22 million pounds of granite have been removed from the project thus far!
8. Crazy Horse Memorial is located in South Dakota near the Black Hills National Forest and Mount Rushmore National Monument.
9. It is owned and operated by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1947 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and his wife, Ruth Ziolkowski.
10. Since its inception, hundreds of people have helped work on chiseling away at the mountain, including members of the Ziolkowski family and volunteers from around the world.

Crazy Horse Memorial Entrance Sign

Who is Crazy Horse?

Crazy Horse was a Warrior Chief of the Oglala Lakota Tribe
He fought to preserve the way of Life of the Lakota
Crazy Horse is admired by many Native Americans
His name was originally "Curly", because of his light colored, curly hair.
Crazy Horse sought solitude, often times going on vision quests in the Black Hills on Rapid Creek
Chief Crazy Horse participated in the Battle of Little Bighorn, or Custer's Last Stand
Curly was born in 1841 in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Crazy Horse died in September of 1877
Crazy Horse was shy, modest, generous to the elderly, poor and children
When called upon, Crazy Horse was always there for his people.

Flag of the Oglala Lakota

Inspired by one of the most incredible heroes of the Oglala Lakota, Crazy Horse is a work in progress and a monumental undertaking. After Mount Rushmore was carved, Chief Henry Standing Bear approached Korczak Ziolkowski to carve their great hero. it wasn't to be right away, as Korczak enlisted in the army to fight in World War II.

After two injuries, and the war was over, Korczak was offered to carve great sculptures depicting war heroes and battles throughout Europe, but in the end he thought it would be better to tell the story of a great people. Beginning with $174, construction started on the monument in 1948 and continues on to this day.

The story of this building, the people behind it and the struggles faced in carving the mountain can be found at the visitors center. This is quite possibly the best visitors center in all the Black Hills. It offers an in depth film, artifacts of the Lakota, depictions of the final project, a gift shop and a restaurant. This monument is so large, that all four Presidents can fit inside the head of Crazy Horse.

Chief Crazy Horse had an impossible situation. He could fight protecting the way of life of the Lakota perhaps to the very end of his people, or he could lead the tribe into the hands of the U.S. Army and be forced to live on the reservation, potentially losing the way of the Lakota Life.

Crazy Horse decided in the end that he had to surrender, and left for the Red Cloud Agency. Before surrendering, Crazy Horse along with He Dog, Little Big Man and Iron Crow met to perform a ceremony preparing before turning himself over. General Crook gave orders that Crazy Horse be arrested and taken to an Army Division after his surrender. Although there are conflicting accounts, it is generally accepted that a U.S. Army Guard was responsible for bayonetting Crazy Horse, who died later that evening on September 5, 1877.