Lee and Karen Duquette,
The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
visited Crazy Horse Memorial
in the Black Hills of South Dakota
August 19, 2013

Leaving Custer State Park and driving to Crazy Horse was a pleasant ride with nice scenery.

Below: Nature Gates - 46 feet long, with 270 brass silhouettes of animals.

Below: This 9-foot 6-inch bronze statue of Fighting Stallions was on the grounds of the Crazy Horse Memorial.
The two RV Gypsies also saw a Fighting Stallions statue in 2014 at Brookgreen Gardens in 2014. If you jump ahead to the 2014 photo, please return here. Actually, this 2013 is a better photo though.

Below: The exhibits and museum were vast with so much information. Of course the real attraction is the Crazy Horse Carving itself. The two RV Gypsies were disappointed that they could not get closer to the monument, and after paying $10 per person to get in, they did not want to pay more to take the bus down to get closer. It would be nice if the entrance fee to the monument also included the bus ride. If the two RV Gypsies were to ever return here, they would only go on the weekend when they let the public hike to the top. The two RV Gypsies missed the dance demonstration on the Viewing Veranda because they got there too late, because of spending the day at Custer State Park.

This buffalo statue was black and white on one side
and red and yellow on the other side.

Crazy Horse literally means "His-Horse-Is-Crazy" or "His-Horse-Is-Spirited. " Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S. Federal Government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party to victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876.

After surrendering to U.S. troops under General Crook in 1877, Crazy Horse was fatally wounded by a military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment at Camp Robinson in present-day Nebraska. He ranks among the most notable and iconic of Native American tribal members and has been honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a Great Americans series postage stamp.

"My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too." These are the words Chief Henry Standing Bear wrote to sculptor Corkage Ziolkowski in 1939 urging him to come back to the Black Hills and carve a mountain sculpture honoring American Indians. Ziolkowski arrived in the Black Hills in May of 1947. He worked on the mountain until his death on October 20, 1982. His family continues the dream and work progresses on the world's largest mountain sculpture. When finished, Crazy Horse will stand 641 feet long and 563 feet high.

Below: Statue of Corkage Ziolkowski by Ray Kroc

Below: Take a rock from Crazy Horse Mountain, leave a contribution

Below: Six views of an amazing motorcycle on display in the Welcome Center at Crazy Horse memorial

Shaquille O'Neal's shoe size 24 on display

Autographed Green Bay Packers football

When Corkage accepted the invitation of Native Americans to carve a mountain memorial to their culture, he determined that it would be a humanitarian project. He wanted Crazy Horse to be much more than just a colossal mountain carving. He directed that the Memorial also would tell present and future generations the story of Native Americans by displaying outstanding examples of Indian culture and heritage, both of yesterday and today. The museum collection started out with single display donated in 1965 by Charles Eder, Assiniboine-Sioux, from Montana. Mr. Eder’s impressive collection remains on display in a place of honor in the Orientation and Welcome Center at Crazy Horse Memorial. Each year, tribal members and others contribute Native American art and artifacts to enhance the collection and make it more comprehensive and representative of all North American tribes. Close to 90 percent of the museum collection has been donated, both by Native Americans and non-Natives.

At first the two RV Gypsies did not know what the below T-shirt has to do with Indians or Crazy Horse, but it sure made the two RV Gypsies laugh. But thinking it over, the T-shirt must represent the fact that much of the mountain was carved by blasting.

Below: Work on the Crazy Horse Memorial began in 1948. The two RV Gypsies doubt that it will be completed in their lifetime.

Below; When finally completed, the monument depicting Chief Crazy Horse on his steed will be 641 feet long by 563 feet high, the largest sculpture in the world.

Below: On the Viewing Veranda there is a scale model of the carving that is 1/34th of the original size. The photo below on the left shows scale model with the real mountain 3/4 of a mile in the distance. The photo below on the right is the back side of the scale model carving.

Below: Views of the world's largest carving in progress, as seen from the Viewing Veranda.

Below: Legends in Light Show is a laser-light storytelling presentation illuminates cultural diversities and celebrates similarities and encourages harmony among all people. Because it was not easy to photograph the light show, below is the brochure given out at the Crazy Horse Memorial.

NOTE: Lee and Karen Duquette planned on returning here in 2025 to see how much the work had progressed, BUT due to Lee Duquette ending up in serious condition in the hospital their trip was cut short. Lee almost died, but the amazing hospital staff helped in survive and they had to return to their home base.

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