Black Hills Magic - Crazy Horse Memorial
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The profiles of George W. Bush's predecessors aren't the only great faces in the Black Hills. For Native Americans the Black Hills is their sacred, spiritual center. For them, there is no better place to pay homage to the great Lakota Sioux chief, Crazy Horse.
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Crazy Horse Memorial
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Like Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse was the vision of one man; the late Korczak Ziolkowski. Boston-born Korczak began the project in 1948 at the request of Lakota Chief Standing Bear, who wrote, "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too."
Interestingly, the mountain Korczak picked is a red granite, whereas, Mt. Rushmore is white granite. For two years Korczak took on the monumental task solo, until he married Ruth Ross, a volunteer who came to work on the mountain, they subsequently had 10 children. From then on the memorial became a family project. Korczak accepted no government money for the project; it is completely privately funded. Just before Korczak died in 1982 he asked his wife and children to continue his work, which they continue to do today.
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Indian Museum of North America
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The nine-story-tall face of Crazy Horse was finished in 1998; the focus is now on the horse's head and mane, which will be the height of a 22-story building. When completed, it will be the world's largest mountain carving and will stand 563 feet high and stretch to a length of 641 feet. To get an idea of its size, consider that all four faces on Mount Rushmore would fit inside just Crazy Horse's head and that the chief's outstretched arm is the length of a football field.
Crazy Horse memorial is more than just the carving. Korczak's vision is to have a University and Indian cultural center. Currently, the center includes two theaters, interpretive displays, and workshops that allow the public to view artisans working on restoration of Native American art and artifacts. It also houses the Indian Museum of North America. Of course, the big question is when will it be finished? According to officials, uncertain weather conditions along with financing make it impossible to predict a completion date.
>>> Next, Custer State Park
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