The Crazy Horse Memorial

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a colossal mountain sculpture located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, near the town of Custer. It depicts the Lakota warrior Crazy Horse on horseback with his arm outstretched, pointing towards his ancestral lands. The sculpture is still a work in progress and is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain using traditional Native American techniques. It is considered one of the largest mountain sculptures in the world, measuring 641 feet long and 563 feet high.

The idea for the memorial was first proposed in 1939 by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear, who asked sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create a monument to honor the Native American people. Ziolkowski accepted the challenge and began work on the sculpture in 1948, but unfortunately, he passed away in 1982 before the project was completed. His family has continued the work, and it is estimated that the sculpture will take several more decades to finish.

In addition to the sculpture, the Crazy Horse Memorial also includes a museum, an educational and cultural center, and an amphitheater. The museum features exhibits on Native American history and culture, while the educational and cultural center offers workshops and classes on Native American art, music, and dance. The amphitheater hosts an annual night blast, a pyrotechnic show that illuminates the sculpture.

Visitors can take a bus tour to the base of the sculpture or hike to the top of the mountain for a closer view. The Crazy Horse Memorial is a popular tourist destination in South Dakota and is a symbol of Native American history and culture.