I knew it wasn't going to look much different, but seeing the mountain carving in the distance, rising above the pine trees, somehow meant more to me as I pulled into the long, main drive this time. I wasn't sure why, but by the end of the day, I knew.
I was introduced to the Crazy Horse Memorial by my parents as an important part of the traditional South Dakota vacation. It was as much a part of the Black Hills road trip as the Corn Palace in Mitchell, the Badlands, Wall Drug and Mount Rushmore.
Crazy Horse is the largest mountain carving in the world, a work-in-progress since a first blast of rock in June 1948.
On my first trip, in the late 1980s, there wasn't much to look at. Mostly just a hole in the side of a mountain face. And it was flat where the outstretched arm would be. But most of it was left to the imagination.
By the second visit in 2003 there was a face, completed in 1998. This gave the carving some personality. I could see it now! Yet it still was just inching along. Why wasn't it getting done, I thought.
Prior to visiting a third time this spring, I read about the project and paid closer attention to its history, to why the work was being done.
And by the end of my visit, I understood that different feeling I had pulling off the highway and onto that long drive. Instead of measuring the monument's impact by the progress made on the carving, I thought to myself, “Why does it have to be finished to make it great? This place is great!” I discovered on this trip that it's more about the project's impact on an entire group of people as a cultural and educational center.
The size of the carving gives it a majestic look, and on this perfectly clear day, the 87-foot 6-inch face of Crazy Horse was stunning — even from the parking lot some 600 feet above and a mile away.
Almost as impressive is the Welcome Center. Guests are invited to an orientation film titled “Dynamite and Dreams,” which tells the history and purpose of the memorial.
A three-part dream, the completed memorial will feature the mountain carving as its obvious centerpiece. The other two parts of the dream are the Indian Museum of North America and, eventually, the University and Medical Training Center for the North American Indian. Versions of the latter two exist today, a museum is within the Welcome Center and an adjacent Native American Cultural Center offers some educational programs.
A painting near the information desk depicts how the entire project will appear upon completion. Don't miss it, because it presents the dream in a way that will, if you are like me, have your imagination moving trees and roads, visually placing things as you stare out over the landscape.
A4 scale model of the mountain carving, on the veranda between the Welcome Center and restaurant, is a focal point of the guest experience. With the right angle, a wanna-be photographer can creatively capture the model with the real deal in the background.
The veranda also offers a straightforward view of the mountain. Relax on a bench and take a deep pull of the glorious mountain air. Don't work that camera to a point where you never see your surroundings outside of the viewfinder. You will regret it later, trust me.
The museum compliments the story being told in stone by acknowledging and illustrating the many aspects of Native American life through art, photographs, illustrations and artifacts.
And the cultural center exists to increase public awareness of the culture of Native Americans. During the summer season, the center becomes a popular market featuring arts and crafts created by members of many tribes and presentations of traditional and contemporary Native American singing and dancing.
No visit to the monument is complete without a stroll through the sculptor's log studio and home. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski built the home during his first year at the mountain while living in a tent. The home is now loaded with art that Ziolkowski brought with him — some of his works and some items he and his wife, Ruth, had collected.
And, of course, there is a gift shop and restaurant. Try the Native American tacos, they are amazing!
This time around, I was given the opportunity to do what most guests desire but few get to do: Step on the arm of the sculpture. Way up high on the mountain, right by Crazy Horse's face.
The view was breathtaking, the image profound.
As I stood there, nearly close enough to touch the face of Crazy Horse, my mind moved back to a painting that hangs in the Welcome Center. It is called “The Promise” and depicts sculptor Ziolkowski on a hillside beside his original model and Chief Henry Standing Bear, the Lakota chief who brought Ziolkowski to South Dakota to carve the mountain. The letter from Standing Bear read: “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heros, too.”
Ziolkowski promised that day to tell a story through the carving, the museum and education. They saw it all that day in 1948.
As I sat there on top of that rock, staring at the 87-foot-tall face that has emerged since, this time, I could see it all, too. I could see what they dreamed.
Contact the writer:
444-1264, kenton.krueger@owh.com
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