Crazy Horse Memorial Facts
Presently under construction in the Black Hills of South Dakota is the Crazy Horse Memorial. Dedicated to the form of the Oglala Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, it presents the famous figure riding a horse and pointing off into the distance. Besides the mountain carving itself, the site also features the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center.
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Features
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The Crazy Horse Memorial is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain located between Hill City and Custer, only a short distance from Mount Rushmore. The finished monument will reach 563 feet high.
History
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The sculpture was started in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski, who had previously worked on the Mount Rushmore Monument. In 1939, Chief Henry Standing Bear commissioned the sculptor to carve a dedication to Native Americans.
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Significance
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While there is no definite completion date, the Crazy Horse Memorial has continued to be carved even after Ziolkowski's death in 1982. The face of Crazy Horse was completed and dedicated in 1998. When completed, it will be the world's largest sculpture.
Considerations
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All of the money for the construction of the monument is from donations. On two occasions, the federal government offered $10 million to assist in the completion of the monument, however, it has been repeatedly declined.
Theories/Speculation
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There is a number of controversies revolving around the Crazy Horse Memorial. The most notably of these is that very few photographs of Crazy Horse exist. In addition, he was buried in an unmarked grave, making the likelihood that the image is actually that of the warrior unlikely.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Patrickdf, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ftrob_ch.JPG
