Certain Things Are Carved In Stone
Face To Face With Crazy Horse
Saturday, November 23, 2024 Entry #146
I had a lot of ground I wanted to cover in South Dakota, so I woke up early. I was mere minutes away from the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, so I headed up that way first. There was a lot to consider looking up at those four lionized presidents. First, it was the day after the anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination, and also just weeks after a presidential election that went in the opposite direction from my dearest hopes. There was a lot to sway me from the idealism that a visit here is supposed instill. However, the monument to presidential leadership carved into the Black Hills is quite majestic, and I left feeling a bit more more hopeful....about 2028 at least.
It was also a nostalgic visit, as the last time I was here, I was with my children when they were young, and my mom who has since passed away. The amphitheater at Mount Rushmore holds a particular spot in my heart, The ranger who had earlier taken us on a hike around the grounds was so impressed with my then 10-year old son’s knowledge of presidential history that he invited Gabe onto the stage at that evening’s fireworks show to wow the assembled tourists. Just a great memory!
I was really excited to get to my next mountain carving destination, the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial, so I had a quick breakfast and got back on the road. On my way out, George Washington seemed to be giving me the old side eye.
The Crazy Horse Memorial has always had a special appeal to me. It was commissioned by an Oglala Lakota chief, Henry Standing Bear. He wanted to create a monument to the great nineteenth century Sioux leader in South Dakota’s Black Hills, a sacred land to his people. The Polish-American sculptor who was chosen to take the lead on the project had also worked on Mount Rushmore. Chief Standing Bear gave the artist his mission: “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes too.”
The project began in 1948, but without state or federal funding, progress has been slow, and the memorial is still under construction. I have been to the Crazy Horse site three previous times-as a teen in 1978, a few years later as a trip leader in 1987, and with my mom and children in 2011. You can see the changes over time in this poster.
By now, three generations of the original sculptor’s family have dedicated their lives to the project. There is a model at the site to show visitors the vision of the completed sculpture.
As I approached the site and caught my first glance of the carving, I cranked up “Ghost Dance,” a song about the legendary Native American ceremony by Robbie Robertson of The Band, a member of the Mohawk and Cayuga tribes.
Because it is still under construction, most of the public must view the Crazy Horse Memorial from a deck some distance away. Here is that view as I saw it on this visit.
In addition to the monument, the site contains a marvelous Native American Cultural Center and Museum. It also serves as the campus of the Indian University of North America, which offers summer programs for students of native descent. I was just soaking all of it up when I was approached by a woman who works at the memorial. She said that since it was a slow time of year, they were offering visitors jeep rides up to the face of the carving for a modest donation to the memorial foundation. I readily agreed and I got ready for my adventure.
The guide was from the area, and she worked on the site along with her mother and grandmother. Her enthusiasm for and knowledge about the project and the causes of the First Nations was inspiring. But, nothing could have prepared me for actually facing the 87-foot-face of Crazy Horse carved into the mountain. It was a breathtakingly spiritual experience.
The extended arm was finished just last summer. I love how Crazy Horse is pointing directly into the sacred Black Hills.
With the help of several anonymous donations, a humongous new tower crane has recently been procured for work on the monument. This tool can reach all parts of the mountain carving and should speed up progress immeasurably. The team is now gearing up for the blasting and carving that is needed to shape Crazy Horse’s horse. It is hoped that the finished Crazy Horse Memorial should finally be unveiled by the 100th anniversary of the first blast on the mountain, which will take place in 2048!
Here is a good look I got at Crazy Horse on the way down the mountain. It is less stupendous than what I saw up close, but it’s still a more detailed full view of the sculpture than can be seen from the deck back at the visitor’s center.
I left the Crazy Horse Memorial and the Black Hills profoundly grateful for having spent time there.
I couldn’t leave without playing some Neil Young, who named his ragged backing band (of which E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren is a part-time member) after the fierce warrior depicted up there on Thunderhead Mountain in the Black Hills.
I will end this serious post on a slightly comical note. There hasn’t been any Springsteen content on this post (except that the title is a line from “Long Walk Home”) about icons sculpted from mountains. Until now.
Day 13