The Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota is a giant statue of the Native American warrior, with educational and cultural facilities and museums. Construction began in 1948, and as of 2011, only the head has been completed. The statue will eventually be the largest sculpture in the world and will depict Crazy Horse sitting astride his horse. The Black Hills of South Dakota is a popular region known for its beauty, and the Crazy Horse Memorial hopes to add historical significance. The project is a non-profit effort overseen by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.
Carved into Thunderhead Mountain in South Dakota, the Crazy Horse Memorial is a giant statue of the famed Native American warrior. The memorial includes the still-under-construction Crazy Horse statue and also has educational and cultural facilities and several museums, including the Indian Museum of North America. Construction on the monument began in 1948, and as of 2011, only the Oglala Lakota warrior’s head has been completed.
The statue will eventually depict Crazy Horse sitting astride his horse, left arm extended, indicating where his “dead” is buried. The Oglala Lakota are a Native American tribe associated with this region, who hold this area and Thunderhead Mountain sacred. It is located 17 miles (about 27 km) from the famous Mt. Rushmore Monument, which depicts four American presidents.
Upon completion, this Native American monument will become the largest sculpture in the world; however, this may still be a long way off. It has been under construction for over 60 years. When it finally emerges from the rock, it will be the first statue of non-religious origin to hold the status of the largest statue in the world.
The Black Hills of South Dakota, where this monument resides, is a popular North American region known for the picturesque beauty associated with the rocky peaks of this mountain range. The Crazy Horse Memorial hopes to add even more historical significance to this already attractive area. It is very costly to build a memorial of this magnitude and there are a plethora of ongoing fundraising activities involved in acquiring the resources necessary for its completion.
This project is rooted in a 1939 letter from Henry Standing Bear to famed sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. Standing Bear’s letter included a reason for wanting this sculpture built, stating, “My fellow bosses and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes too.” Ziolkowski, who was of Polish-American descent, agreed to the project after being persuaded to use sacred ground on Wyoming’s more suitable Tetons.
This memorial is a non-profit effort without much federal and state financial support. The monument is overseen by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, which the late sculptor’s widow and several of her children oversee. The completed monument will include educational facilities for the University of South Dakota as well as a cultural center, museum and sculpture itself.
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