Crazy Horse: Continuing a Dream

by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

A love story carved in stone...

Before he died, Crazy Horse sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski told his family tocontinue his mountain carving and to "go slowly, so you do it right." Now over a decade since his death in 1982, it's easy to see that wife Ruth and their children have definitely heeded his advice. Work has gone slowly, but there's no doubt that it's coming along just fine.

Crazy Horse Memorial is located 15 minutes away from Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Like the well-known national landmark, the Crazy Horse sculpture is also a mountain carving, but it is being done in the round. When completed, it will be larger than its presidential neighbor. Currently this is the only mountain carving in the world in progress, and it is the only one to have ever been led by a woman.

The memorial honors the Sioux leader Crazy Horse who defeated General Custer in the Battle of Little Big Horn. For generations, the Black Hills have been sacred to these Indians, so they felt this was an appropriate place to honor their leader.

The Sioux believed that Korczak was destined to memorialize their chief because the sculptor was born on September 6, the same day Crazy Horse was stabbed in the back while under a flag of truce. Also, Crazy Horse had often worn a stone talisman in his ear, telling people he would one day return to them in stone.

This colossal project of the Indian atop a horse dates back to 1940. Chief Henry Standing Bear invited the Boston-born artist to sculpt Crazy Horse, explaining that, "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too." Interrupted by World War II, Korczak finally began work on the sculpture in 1948 with the first blast that sent 10 tons of rock spewing from the 600-foot monolith.

For years, progress was painfully slow. Korczak lived in an army tent at the base of the mountain, building roads and a 741-step staircase up the mountain. By 1949, he had only $174 left to his name.

Nonetheless, Korczak swore that this project would be funded by private sources only. Twice he turned down $10 million in potential federal funding, refusing to take aid from the U.S. government that had once broken its treaties with the Indians he now worked to honor. Also Korczak had formerly worked as Gutzon Borglum's assistant on nearby Mt. Rushmore. Borglum had planned to sculpt full, 285-foot high busts of the four presidents, but died before the project was completed. Because it was federally funded, work was stopped after a few finishing touches were added, a fate Korczak did not want to befall his mountain carving.

Also, harsh South Dakota winters kept the sculptor from working for months at a time. During these periods, he busied himself with other projects, such as a sculpture of Wild Bill Hickok given to the city of Deadwood in 1951.

Although Korczak came to the mountain a single man, he married a young volunteer who was helping him on a statue of Noah Webster in 1950. Ruth and Korczak soon started a family that grew to ten children. Korczak himself taught his sons the art of mountain sculpture, and as they grew up they helped with the task. The girls helped Ruth with the visitors who had been steadily coming to the complex since 1949. Today, seven of the ten children continue to work on the mountain or in the Visitors Center.

Throughout the years, Korczak continued to work, although he was injuried on the mountain and the grueling heavy labor took its toll on his health. Several back operations removed six consecutive disks from his spine, and in 1982 he underwent a quadruple heart bypass operation. On October 20, 1982, Korczak died of a heart attack. He was buried in a tomb that he and his sons had blasted out of rock at the base of the mountain.

Although over seven million tons of rock had been removed at the time of his death, the sculptor never saw any detail work. "One of the things that kept Korczak positive was that he wasn't carving a mountain for the sake of carving the mountain," explains Ruth. "He wanted to give pride back to the Indians. He knew that the mountain would give back pride."

To created such a source of cultural pride, Korczak planned a carving to surpass the Sphinx, and the Washington Monument in size. When complete, Crazy Horse will stand 563 feet high, compared to the 60 foot height of the heads at Mount Rushmore. The Indian leader's head and face will soar over nine stories tall. The nostril of the horse will be large enough to contain a five room house.

Korczak's dream was not limited to the mountain carving. He envisioned that Crazy Horse would embody pride of all Indians, not just the Sioux. To carry on the heritage, Korczak planned a site that would include an Indian Museum of North America, built at the base of the mountain. Also located in the complex would be the University and Medical Training Center for the North American Indian, the only institution of its kind.

These dreams are moving towards reality. Already an excellent museum of over 20,000 Indian artifacts educates Crazy Horse visitors. Plans continue for the education center, directed by Ruth as chief executive officer of the Crazy Horse Foundation.

And work on the mountain moves forward except during winter months. Eleven workers head up the mountain daily to continue the painstaking, even backbreaking task of carving the gargantuan sculpture. Daughter Monique acts as a "pointer," using her father's model to guide the crews as they drill into the granite and slowly unveil the carving in the round.

"In this day of instant gratification, this is no place for someone who wants it right now," says Ruth. "They go up in the morning and I think to myself 'You're not going to see one iota of difference at the end of the day.' But they are excited about going to work. Work around here has never been a four letter word."

Detail carving is now underway on the face. Recently Crazy Horse opened his eyes on the Black Hills, eyes that measure over 20 feet wide and seven feet tall. Ruth believes that Korczak would approve. "I'm convinced that he is watching the work from on top and getting satisfaction from it," she says.

One of the most notable aspects of the sculpture is the beautiful pink color of the face just beginning to show. This granite blush is thanks to the finishing process. A 3300 degree torch seals the rock, enhancing the color and giving it a smooth, unlined surface. The same process was used to finish Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Today most visitors spend at least half a day at the Crazy Horse complex. After entering the Nature Gates, iron gates decorated with the silhouettes of 219 creatures found in western South Dakota, guests walk through the outdoor sculpture garden featuring the marble works of Korczak Ziolkowski.

From there, a lobby contains exhibits, equipment and rock samples from the mountain. An excellent film chronicles the artist's life and the progress of the carving.

Korczak's other work, including a bas relief of John F. Kennedy, are featured in the Sculptor's Studio and the Studio Home. In 1947, the home was the first building of what is today an over 80 room complex.

Nearby, three wings of the Indian Museum highlight Indian cultures throughout the continent. The Lakota wing honors the Lakota Sioux of South Dakota, and the Tipi Room includes Great Plains artifacts. Finally, the North American wing exhibits artifacts arranged geographically, including a tepee that visitors can enter.

But as interesting as the museum and exhibits are, it is the Viewing Veranda that attracts every guest. Here, in the open air with an unobstructed view of the mountain, visitors can see the dream slowly coming to life. With the 1/32 scale model in the foreground, it is easy to picture the colossal carving as it will be one day. White lines designate where the horse's head will one day be carved. The lines appear like white chalk marks against the granite, but they represent 176 gallons of paint, first outlined on the mountain by Korczak in 1951.

Just as Korczak Ziolkowski directed over a decade ago, his children continue work slowly and carefully, knowing that this will be, like it was for their father, their life's work. Visitors return annually, coming to check on the progress. As daughter Monique promises, "Come back--we'll be here."

For more information on Crazy Horse, see www.travelsd.com

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