The chief looks southeast past Custer, S.D.
Crazy Horse Memorial
A tribute to the famed Lakota warrior emerges in South Dakota’s Black Hills.
IF YOU'RE GOING...
A tribute to the famed Lakota warrior emerges in South Dakota’s Black Hills.The biggest face in South Dakota’s Black Hills belongs not to a president but to a chief. Seventeen miles southwest of Mount Rushmore, the 88-foot-tall visage of Crazy Horse, the famed Lakota warrior, scowls out from a granite mountainside.
Occasional blasts with explosives continue to uncover a horse’s head and the chief’s outstretched arm, bringing the mountain ever closer to the vision of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.
The visitor center and Indian art museum offer fine views of the work in progress, but Crazy Horse looks even better up close. During the annual walk, or Volksmarch—June 2 and 3 this year—as many as 15,000 people tramp three miles up to share the chief’s view before hiking back down. For more on the Volksmarch, see www.crazyhorsememorial.org/events/volksmarch.html or call the visitor center at (605) 673-4681.
Photography courtesy Crazy Horse Memorial Fund
This article was first published in May 2007. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.
