Crazy Horse Memorial, Mountain monument in Custer County, United States
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a monumental granite carving in the Black Hills showing the Lakota warrior on horseback pointing toward his people's ancestral territory. The project is run by a private foundation and financed through visitor fees and private donations.
Lakota leader Henry Standing Bear commissioned sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski in 1948 to create a monument honoring Native American heritage in the Black Hills. The work was meant to serve as a counterpoint to Mount Rushmore and emphasize the scale and importance of indigenous history.
The Indian Museum of North America at the site displays 12,000 artifacts from Native American history, ranging from pre-Columbian objects to contemporary works by indigenous artists.
The memorial sits on private land in the Black Hills and is accessible to visitors, though it requires a drive from nearby towns. Plan extra time to explore the museum and view the carving from various vantage points around the site.
The completed memorial will be 641 feet (195 m) long and 563 feet (172 m) high, making it larger than Mount Rushmore's presidential faces. The project is intentionally designed never to be finished, with work continuing across generations.
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