Overnight temps were very mild in the 60’s and I could have lounged at the lake drinking coffee all day without much argument, but instead I arose and broke camp quickly to maximize the daylight hours that are now growing noticeably shorter all the time. One of the main “to-do’s” of my trip was to see the Crazy Horse Memorial as I missed it back in 2016. I’m not a big fan of giant sculptures carved into the landscape (as you can see from my Mount Rushmore post here), but I was maybe more intrigued to see all the Indigenous artifacts and learn what I could about the culture and history.
I was one of the first to arrive today and parked nearly at the front entrance. Suppose it helps that it’s a Monday morning and turning into the off-season. No complaints here, small crowd sizes make me happy. From the parking lot you can get a clear view to the huge sculpture and with a bit of zoom lens it’s easy to capture great detail. If you’ve never been here be sure to understand you cannot walk up any closer to the base of the mountain so don’t expect that. I believe (but don’t quote me on it) that once a year they allow a hike to the top; otherwise since construction is ongoing this is the limit for safety reasons. You may be able to also pay for a guided bus tour that ventures closer but again don’t quote me on this as I didn’t participate in that myself.
With the admission price you are allowed to experience everything inside the rather large Indian Museum of North America. I started by watching the historical movie explaining how the memorial came to be. Had the theater all to myself!
As the story goes, Chief Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, commissioned famous sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve the monument into the mountain. Originally, Standing Bear was writing to Gutzon Borglum who was in charge of the Mount Rushmore project. Despite pleas to include Crazy Horse his letters started going unanswered. Ziolkowski was a self-trained sculptor who won notoriety for his entries in the World Fair and was hired to work for Borglum at Mount Rushmore. However, due to an argument about the arrangement of not being the main sculptor’s assistant Borglum fired him by telegram. Apparently this also resulted in Ziolkowski and Lincoln Borglum having a fist fight. The photo below is interesting as it shows a young Ziolkowski that is clean-shaven and looking much like a kid. Other photos and paintings of Ziolkowski show him as a thick-bearded mountain man which is quite the contrast.
Here you can see one such representation of Ziolkowski running a jack hammer and wearing a buck skin shirt (though he is still clean shaven here which isn’t a common theme). I believe this was in the Wall of Windows section, and surrounding the larger portrait are many smaller portraits of what I recall were tribal leaders of all the regional nations. Below there are display cases of clothing, bead work, and other misc artifacts that are too numerous to count or name them all. I do suggest if you visit this place to read and observe everything you can – most of the names and events all weave together and provide a greater overall history of the indigenous peoples representing this area.
Continuing onward in the museum – more portraits and paintings of western life scenery; displays of kachina dolls and pottery styles; and various jewelry, bead work, and stone works. Again, I couldn’t explain them all if I tried and I am not going to – you just have to see and experience for yourself!
Further into the Indian Museum I can now share a wider shot showing the fantastic wood ceilings and floors that are found throughout the buildings. Paintings and artwork in this area were a bit more modern in style and I found them to be unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere, very unique and truly a style of their own. At the far end is a tipi adorned with hand-drawn artwork that you can glimpse inside for an idea of how much room there is. I don’t think I have ever seen a “real” tipi like this before so it was great to get up close!
After finishing another more recent room in the museum with some great bead work, leather work, a full size canoe, and other misc artifacts(not shown here), I exited through the gift shop and onto the Viewing Veranda as labeled on the maps. This is a large wooden deck area that is central to multiple buildings/wings on the property, but most importantly it gives the best views of the memorial sculpture that you can get. There are also various benches and tables for sitting, and if you are hungry grab a bite to eat at the Laughing Water restaurant.
Here is what I could capture using my camera and 100mm equivalent zoom. You don’t need a fancy camera or tons of zoom, this is truly a very large sculpture and you can see it fine with the naked eye. But hey I have the camera so why not use it? Shadows are getting better compared to the morning hours, if I stay and explore a bit longer maybe I can see it without being so dark…
Carrying forward again into the “Sculptor’s Original Family Log Home” which is…well, just like the name says it’s the Ziolkowski family’s original log home preserved inside the larger overall building structure. Again, too much to show without lots of photos. Sculptures, paintings, personal memorabilia of the family, letters, and more in any direction that you look. Look closely at the small sitting couch – signed photo of JFK and Ziolkowski (things like this are not uncommon, it is bursting with similar items in every nook and cranny).
Here’s a close-up view of a photo showing this exact location of the house with that small seat and painting. Ziolkowski himself sitting on the seat and appears to be smoking a cigar. There are far fewer statues and clutter, and it appears there are still chains across the far doorway – possibly blocking tour guests from the actual rooms they still lived in?
Walking out into an open covered porch area the next “wing” is the Mountain Carving Gallery. This contains history of the progress in carving the memorial and shows displays of machinery and implements used to do the work. Behind where I stood to take this photo was a large land diorama showing the property layout, and a TV playing a film showing how they go about carefully removing the stone to reveal the designs.
Another small walkway outside to the next building and we find ourselves in the Native American Educational and Cultural Center. On my visit today it was mostly just a large empty room resembling a school gymnasium, but there were some hands-on cultural and interactive displays mostly for the children. Hanging in the rafters are flags of all the nations that are affiliated. I do want to point out here that this is also something of controversy and not all Native American nations necessarily support this project. In fact, there is opposition to the memorial ever being created as Crazy Horse “resisted being photographed and was deliberately buried where his grave would not be found“. There is also opposition as not all family members made consensus the decision, and there is controversy regarding the funds and whether they are really being used properly for the sculpture or to bolster/elevate Ziolkowski’s own status and legacy (effectively having the white man profit from using a Native American’s name to drive the cause). As someone who hates having my own picture taken, I’m inclined to size with Crazy Horse and his ancestors here but I will reserve further comment on the tribe’s feelings/beliefs as I do not know them directly.
In the basement of the cultural center is a corridor with very old photographs, historical text and pictures, canoes, hides, and an actual bison taxidermy.
And in the final building named the “Sculptor’s Workshop” are a collection of various sculptures, busts, and figurines made by Ziolkowski alongside the tools used to carve them out. There are also various historical collector’s items such as a full stagecoach from Deadwood, and what appears to be a large assortment of drums, dress uniforms, and pencil drawings/paintings from what appears to be the Revolutionary War era. I don’t recall for sure but I think the stagecoach was received in trade/payment for some work he did; often the oddities in decor/artifacts is something along those lines.
I spent several hours trying to read and experience all the things and I still don’t feel it was enough time to take it all in. If you visit here, plan to spend at least 1/2 of a day and possibly even closer to a full day if you enjoy reading about the history. One final look at the memorial from the Viewing Veranda before I go – with the midday sun, shadows are greatly improved and you can really see the detail of the layers/rings going around the mountain. If you are viewing on a large computer screen you may also be able to see some tiny people near the crane who are at work making more progress on the carving.
Was it worth visiting? Absolutely. Do I feel conflicted about it? Absolutely. But if nothing else I think the net positive takeaway is that I learned more about the Indigenous cultures and history, and for that I am thankful it exists. Now it’s time to explore more of the Black Hills and it’s natural beauty!
Hi Adam… we were there about 15 years ago… does not look like much has changed… the monument will never be finished!
I agree that seems to be everyone’s sentiment that it will never be completed. If I’m still around in 30-40 years maybe I’ll go back and check again!