Crazy Horse Memorial

Be ready to spend some time at the memorial lots to see, including a 22 minute documentary as well as craftsmen and artifacts! Great way to spend an afternoon!

Crazy Horse Memorial… hmm…where to begin…
First, if you’re on your way to Mount Rushmore, it’s worth a visit as its not really out of your way. It’s not state or federally funded so to visit there is a fee which is pricey. The place is very well done in the sense they give you all the information on how this began, by whom and etc.
Second, there is a restaurant and more of a quick eatery depending on your how long you have, there are two choices. The outside deck has a lovely water fountain where you can take pictures of Crazy Horse Memorial. As I’m sure you may know, this is no where near being completed. There is a statue of what the completed memorial would look like and yes, it would be quite impressive.
Finally, is it worth a trip just to visit only and absolutely nothing else? For me, no (and solely my own opinion) it’s not a huge place so perhaps an hour or two would be enough with no dining. However, it is worth it if you plan to see other parts of South Dakota. Overall, I’m glad I got to visit but nothing too wow for me.
Note-​gift shop inside.

$ 28/​car admission which gets you access to the huge gift shop and a slightly closer view of the memorial than you get from the road. There is an informational video that is heavy on the history of the family who is doing the carving (and owns the gift shop) but extremely light on the history of crazy horse and what the memorial represents.
You can pay extra to take a bus closer to the memorial but we didn’t go.
Despite attracting 1million visitors a year there has been almost no visible progress on the memorial in a decade and there is no published project timeline or estimated completion date. Makes you wonder where all the money has been going.
My recommendation is to snap a picture from the road and continue on your vacation.

Prepare yourself. It’s $ 28 a car, or $ 11 a person, whichever is cheaper. You walk in, and they encourage you to see the movie first. As you’re waiting for the film, you walk around what is essentially a glant store with a few personal collections to see. The view you see from the entrance is the same view you see from the visitor center — just a distant profile. It costs even more money to take a bus to get a better angle, but they weren’t running on the afternoon I went because of the Volksmarch. So clearly I’m thinking this is the biggest rip-​off ever. But then I see the film, which is about 15 minutes long. And then I feel better about parting with the cash, as my $ 28 is a donation. The vision is bold, and the skeptic in me doubts it will be completed in my lifetime, but obviously it’s going to take a lot more $ 28 donations to make that happen.

This place is the biggest waist of time tourist trap I have ever been to.
I would consider anything else but coming here. It is $ 28 to get a car in, then $ 4 per person to go up on a buss to see it.

This gargantuan mountain memorial to the Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse is a relevant tribute to the spirit of the Native Americans who lived here (or will be when it’s done). The museum has tons of artifacts and information about them. There’s also an educational film about the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who was an assistant on the nearby Mount Rushmore memorial and was personally commissioned to build this one by the Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear, a descendant of Crazy Horse. I’m glad we had the time to visit this awesome creation while we were in the area.
Having said that, however, I also have to say that I probably won’t go back again until the monument is closer to completion. The work has been in progress since 1948 and is nowhere near finished because it’s funded entirely by private donations. The parking fee is pricey at $ 28, then it costs an extra $ 4 if you want to take a bus ride closer to the monument (we passed on that). At least the money goes toward other worthy movements, such as the Native American Educational and Cultural Center and the Indian University of North America.
This is definitely worth at least one visit if you happen to be in the area. Just be forewarned about the incomplete nature of the monument and the price. Consider it a donation to a good cause!

Made a stop here with our guided tour and wasn’t all impressed. They have a large room filled with information and even a video can watch to gain background on just who Crazy Horse was and how this monument came to be.
The gift store is LARGE, I don’t even know if I can call it a single gift store, more like 4 – 5 interconnected ones! They sell things from home made jewelry, homemade dream catchers, t-​shirts, walking sticks, and more. If you head to the very end of the gift store there’s a guy who sits near the coin jewelry and makes them in person, kinda cool to watch.
The monument was cool looking, it’s not completed, but they do have a ¹⁄₃₄ miniature sculpture out on the patio. They offer a bus tour down to the bottom of the mountain, and also for more $$ they will take you up to the top of the mountain. Overall we made a 1 hour stop at this memorial but I spent about half of this stop sitting in the Laughing Waters Restaurant playing on my phone. The memorial is cool and all, but if you’re tight on time and have to choose between Mt. Rushmore or Crazy Horse, I say stick with Mt. Rushmore. However if you’re already in the area, it is only about a 30 minute drive from Mt. Rushmore.

This was a gem to stop and see even in snow!!! My friend and I stopped in and took the bus to get a closer view to the Monument. Boy that thing is massive. Way better than I could of imagined! You don’t have to have Indian heritage to enjoy this beauty. While it’s a work in progress, the work from a single man is just stellar. Definitely worth a visit and the money goes to the Memorial Foundation. Things like this make it possible for visitors for year to come! Just DO IT!

You’re inevitably going to come by Crazy Horse Memorial when you come to South Dakota, probably with the intent of seeing Mount Rushmore. I’ll tell you right now, this is the grandest monument in the state.
This thing is gigantic. This thing dwarves Mount Rushmore in size and also has an incredible story behind it. Be sure to read all the information about the great Crazy Horse here and to watch all of the videos around. You’ll come away with an incredible appreciation for this man.
Keep in mind that this monument hasn’t been completed yet, and isn’t likely to be completed any time soon. But you’ve still got to see this.

I appreciate the importance of the memorial, however it is really pricey at $ 28 per car! Once you drive to the visitor center, you are able to watch a brief movie on the history of the monument. If you want to get a closer look, you need to pay extra for a bus tour which takes you to the bottom of the monument for a closer look. I am glad I visited the monument, but I don’t think I will come back. It’s just to pricey for what you get!

Best memorial we have been to! Not only is it free for military and veterans but it is very dog friendly. Pets that can be carried are even allowed inside the museum and theatre. My husband and I were able to actually see the visitor’s center together in stead of one at a time while one of us waited with our little dog. We watched the movie; it was very interesting. The gift shop had many items made by local artisans. We enjoyed some Fry Bread out on the viewing deck with our pooch. Overall the best monument and visitor’s center in the area!!!

We really enjoyed Crazy Horse. The short video before was very informational. We paid the extra $ 4 a person to go by a van closer to Crazy Horse since the offered view is ¾ miles away.

Wow… just wow at the welcome center and the staff. Very informative, very moving place to say the least. Not going to be preachy here but check it out if you are into Native American history, this is a very important place. I hope in my lifetime to see what they are working on completed.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota. It depicts Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, to be sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski. It is operated by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a private non-​profit organization.
The memorial consists of the mountain carving (monument), the Indian Museum of North America, and the Native American Cultural Center. The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain on land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota, between Custer and Hill City, roughly 17 miles (27 km) from Mount Rushmore. The sculpture’s final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet (195 m) wide and 563 feet (172 m) high. The head of Crazy Horse will be 87 feet (27 m) high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet (18 m) high.
The monument has been in progress since 1948 and is far from completion. If completed, it may become the world’s largest sculpture, as well as the first non-​religious statue to hold this record since 1967 (when it was held by the Soviet monument The Motherland Calls.
During my parents 50^th wedding anniversary trip from Ripley, WV to SD we stopped here to see Crazy Horse. They had been here before but I had not so I was truly excited to see it.
The park was packed and not free but it was still a nice visit. extremely packed with visitors but I would def go again and take my family.

I think the idea behind this is great and the final work will be amazing, but I’m just not that impressed by it. We came here after seeing Mt. Rushmore, and I have to say I like this place a lot more.
Let me say this about this place before I go into why I didn’t care for it. Their foundation and efforts appear to be doing a lot of good. They don’t take government money and they appear to give back a lot to the community. I say appear because I haven’t dug too much into what they actually give back.
That being said there is a lot of controversy (ranging from family disputes to would he have even wanted this) about the memorial. The thing that kept nagging at me was the fact that the focus seemed to be more on the man who started the memorial and less on the man the memorial was about. A lot of the material and presentations had a ring of white savior to it. It would have been nice to learn more about Crazy Horse and the struggles that the Native American tribes.
We decided to stay for the «laser» light show as well. It felt like it came right out of the 90’s and it was soaking with patriotism. This was also a place where I would have loved to learn more about Native American history and about Crazy horse, but the focus was more on patriotism and the founder of the memorial. Great opportunity for education kind of squandered.
If you have time to kill after seeing Mt. Rushmore it is worth checking out, but I wouldn’t go out of my way personally.

I have to give this place five stars to highlight the importance of this monument and point out that people have the nerve to write that this place is «too expensive».
Crazy Horse is not just the monument itself, rather it is an entire entity devoted in working with the local Native American groups in higher education and also cultural education to the community. What I love the most is that the entire place is funded on private money, zero dollars is from the government. I gotta hand it to the family who really knows how to get this place going.
We came to Crazy Horse over 20 years ago, and to see the improvements (or so I have been told by my parents), the entire site has improved dramatically. There’s the whole cultural center, video about Crazy Horse, local native tribe, the founding family, and history of the area. I learned quite a bit and the whole place is curated well. There was even a in house musician playing music!
So come on over, grab a rock from the debris (found in the back area) and make a donation to take one home with you. Remember that your admission to see Crazy Horse helps build the monument, fund higher education for native Americans, and supports the entire foundation to continue what they are doing.

They charged us half the total price because of the thick fog that looked like it won’t let up. And it didn’t. They also offered for us to come back the next day for free… but no can do. So we didn’t see the statue at all, even after waiting around for several hours. Ah well, what can you do. Maybe one day when it’s finished, though it’s been 50 years in the making…
Amazing museum. There’s a big native history exhibit, a lot of original artifacts donated by collectors and stories to go along with. Then there’s another part of the museum that were part of the sculptor’s and his family’s home.
So touching how Crazy Horse was the vision of one man who literally worked on it for the first 7 years all by himself, without much money. It wasn’t until his wife came along and he had ten kids with her that he finally had help. More manpower. Imagine that. Don’t skip the documentary.
No real image of Crazy Horse exists, anything that was claimed to be so was proven false. So the sculptor talked to Crazy Horse’s kins n fellow warriors to get a description on his facial features. Pretty sad how Crazy Horse died, not from battle, but stabbed in the back under the flag of truce. Fucking shame.

Between a 3 and 4 star, but in the mood to round up. Stopped in during the evening to take in the light show during a trip to the Black Hills. While it seems like there hasn’t been a lot of progress on the the actual creation of the monument, my wife noted that the Visitors Center has grown a lot. The movie describing the history of the place and how Korczak started it all, and is continued by his family was pretty interesting. The museum space is quite large with a lot of Native American history and artifacts. They also have a lot of Native American items for sale, with a lot being sold by the artisans on-​site. The light show was just okay, but overall the vision for the Crazy Horse Memorial is admirable, and it would be amazing to see this completed… hopefully in my lifetime.

Definitely a very incomplete mountain but lots of history. I was incredibly underwhelmed by the lack of completion of this Monument, and their extremely expensive admission price!
You get to see the monument from a distance and from their guest service center. They also present a movie for you to watch about why this place is here. Yes, you are thinking you will like this. After visiting Mount Rushmore, I came here with my friend who always wanted to come here. If you’re going to both places, I’m assuming you are, I would definitely visit this place first before Mt Rushmore! If you go to Mount Rushmore first, you will be very disappointed. I wish I had done it the opposite way.
They do have an optional tour to go up to Crazy Horse’s face for an extra $ 125 per person donation. Are you kidding me? Also the souvenirs and soft drinks are way more expensive than at Mount Rushmore.

HONORING the American Indian is something I believe is NECESSARY! Their history NEEDS to be remembered. So I thought visiting this grand monument to Chief Crazy Horse would be a wonderful opportunity for my young squires to have a closer look at The Native Americans and gain a broader view of them rather than just thinking of them as associated with California Casinos and the Lone Ranger. As we entered the Welcome Center, which is about ¾ mile away from the monument, we were ushered into an auditorium to watch an introductory movie. However, instead of learning about Chief Crazy Horse, THE FOCUS was on Korshak Ziolkowski, the designer/​sculptor of this monument and his family. A bit on Chief Henry Standing Bear and a lil about a tractor mishap on the monument. Uh, okay. How about MORE info on Chief Crazy Horse? Pertinent info gained from the video was this project was initiated by Chief Henry Standing Bear (His mother’s mother was a sister of Crazy Horse’s father, hence a maternal cousin to Crazy Horse). Work started in 1947 and the face of The Chief was revealed in 1998. The head is 87.5 ft. high and the entire monument will ultimately be 563 ft. tall. Korczak started the the project with only $ 174 to his name. All of this achieved has been through private funding and intentionally, no financial help from The U.S. Government. Most prominent American Indian in the video was Olympian Billy Mills, Gold Medalist in 10,000 metres, 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, part of the Oglala Lakota tribe (tribe of Chief Crazy Horse).
Alright, now I have a whole bunch of questions. First, why is this monument taking so long to complete? Apparently, they receive over 1 million visitors per year. Entry fees are $ 11/​person or $ 28/​carload. That should cover some of the costs. Where does all the money go? Admission fees and Top of The Monument ride proceeds go to the monument. INTERESTINGLY, the gift shop, restaurant, and base of monument ride earnings go to the Ziolkowski Family. So, NOT ALL income generated on grounds, goes to the monument. Maybe more should be diverted to the monument??? Isn’t that just an example of «The Caucasian» taking advantage of «The American Indian» issue all over again? Kinda gives me some reasons for the slow pace. Where are all the American Indians around here? The staff is predominantly Caucasian in appearance. Our guide for the monument ride indicated to be part American Indian, but appeared Caucasian. If this is to honor The American Indian, why aren’t there more here to bear witness or offer insight? Things that make ya say, «Hmmm…» Who «owns» the monument’s land? The Ziolkowskis owned the monument’s land for some time until most of it was transferred to the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation. There are a few houses on the grounds that remain the family’s, as does the crypt. Why choose Crazy Horse? Who was part of the decision process? Was his tribe, The Oglala Lakota tribe (as per Wikipedia, «some Oglala are opposed to the term „Sioux“ because it was given to them by the Chippewa Nation, historically enemies of the Lakota. „Sioux“ means „snake“ and therefore, insulting.») allowed to contribute to the decision? There is an explanation of The Chief’s traits written by Korshak Ziolkowski, but that’s it. Were there other Chiefs in contention? How was the image of Crazy Horse decided? There MAY BE ONE image of him in existence that was first published in 1956, but the monument was designed by Korshak to honor THE SPIRIT of Crazy Horse, not his physical likeness. Do American Indians approve of this monument? Again, as per Wikipedia, Native American cultures are AGAINST the use of the index finger to point. It’s like raising the middle finger to them. Well THAT is CULTURALLY INSENSITIVE. Shouldn’t the monument be modified if that’s the case? After all, it is TO HONOR The American Indian, right? AND, that part of the monument has YET to be completed. There’s still time. Why would this be allowed if it’s insulting? To whom it may concern, PLEASE be respectful to those you wish to pay tribute to…
We spent almost 4 hours here during the winter season. Welcome Center walk around, lunching at Laughing Water, ride to monument, and gift center search for Chief Crazy Horse material for young’uns, because the few sheets of paper about him in the Welcome Center seemed inadequate. I LOVE the idea of honoring The American Indian, and the monument COULD BE a magnificent sight. It even has a red hue to it from the iron oxide in the granite. HOWEVER, it’s hard to recommend something that could potentially be culturally insensitive on a HUGE scale. C’mon, BIGGEST monument ever, and it’s flipping off everyone!!! CHANGE IT, before it is too late. There are other important issues, but this one is the most glaring. Proceed with caution.

Das Crazy Horse Memorial ist eine im Bau befindliche monumentale Skulptur zu Ehren des Oglala-​Lakota-​Indianers Crazy Horse, die in einen Berg gehauen, mehr aber gesprengt wird. wird, jedoch um ein Vielfaches größer. Es ist etwa 25 km südwestlich vom Mount Rushmore in den Black Hills, South Dakota, gelegen.
Das Memorial wird finanziert durch die gemeinnützige Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, die ein Indianermuseum, das Indian Museum of North Amerika, in der Nähe des Monuments betreibt und durch Spenden der Besucher. 1939 wurde der Bildhauer Korczak Ziolkowski, der auch schon am Mount Rushmore National Memorial tätig war, vom damaligen Häuptling der Sioux-​Indianer Standing Bear eingeladen, ein Indianer-​Denkmal zu gestalten. Mit dem Bau wurde dann 1948 begonnen, etwa 10 Millionen Tonnen Granit wurden bisher aus der Felswand gesprengt. Trotzdem ist bisher nur das Gesicht fertiggestellt ein Termin zur Fertigstellung ist bisher nicht absehbar. Ziolkowski starb 1982, seine Arbeit wird durch seine Frau und sieben seiner zehn Kinder fortgesetzt.
In fertiger Form wird die Statue Crazy Horse auf einem Pferd sitzend und mit ausgestrecktem Arm nach Osten weisend zeigen. Nach Fertigstellung der Skulptur soll diese 195 m lang und 172 m hoch sein. Bisher sind aber nur der Kopf und der Ansatz des ausgestreckten Arms aus dem Fels gesprengt und man rechnet damit, dass die weiteren Arbeiten bestimmt noch 50 Jahre dauern werden. Wir waren am Abend dort, weil das unvollendete Monument beleuchtet (viele Fackeln) sein würde. Eine Lasershow, verbunden mit klassischer Musik, vervollkommnete einen wunderschönen, wenn auch leider mit etwas Regen versehenen Abend. Ein riesiger Wellcome Center und das angeschlossenen Museum zeigte uns das Leben der Indianer, bevor die Weißen das Land okkupierten und die Ureinwohner in Reservate trieb.

Ein imposanter Berg eröffnet sich einem während der Fahrt vom Eingangstor zum eigentlichen Crazy Horse Memorial. Seit über 50 Jahren wird an der Vollendung und damit der Ehrung des letzten großen Indianer-​Häuptlings namens Crazy Horse — rein privatwirtschaftlich — gearbeitet.
Beeindruckt hat mich hier vor allem das angegliederte Museum. Ohne einen Zeigefinger zu heben, werden hier die Fehler der Vergangenheit aufgezeigt und aufgearbeitet. So wie bei TATANKA erlebte ich stolze Indianer, die zwar aufklären,
aber nicht verurteilen. Die uns mit einer Offenheit entgegnen, wie ich diese nur selten schon beim allerersten Kontakt erleben durfte. Ein prägendes Erlebnis
Die Lasershow hingegen war zwar als Highlight geplant gewesen, doch die projezierten Bilder und Texte konnten die persönlichen Erlebnisse bei weitem nicht toppen. Mary Youngblood mit Ihrer Musik hingegen schaffte es.