I still get excited when I get the chance to visit a new museum dedicated…
South Dakota: Crazy Horse Memorial
Brule Lakota Henry Standing Bear was born near Pierre, South Dakota, along the Missouri River around 1874. In 1933 he heard that there were plans to build a monument to his cousin Crazy Horse at Fort Robinson where he had met his end. Standing Bear and the Lakota Sioux were determined that any such monument should be built in the Black Hill mountains of South Dakota which had a spiritual significance to his Nation. This led him on a search to find someone with the skills and imagination to carve a sculpture out of a mountain, and he found such a person in the form of Korczak Ziolkowski. Work began on June 3rd 1948 and continues unto this day.
The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain, on land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota, roughly 17 miles (27 km) from Mount Rushmore. The sculpture’s final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet (195 m) long and 563 feet (172 m) high. The arm of Crazy Horse will be 263 feet (80 m) long and the head 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.
Today, the Crazy Horse Memorial is a campus that carries on the mission of Standing Bear, a man who believed in the power of education, to educate people through its museums and cultural programs. And of course there is the continued purpose of finishing the Crazy Horse Memorial, which today has completed the face of Crazy Horse and work is taking place on the outstretched hand. The work receives no funding from the State or Federal authorities and is totally supported from donations and the proceeds of visitors.
Tourists can tour the memorial, getting up close and personal with the statue, and in the summer months there are laser shows in the evenings. With a but more planning you could be there for the bi-annual spectacular ceremonial blast that lights up the Mountain with incredible fireballs and specially designed pyrotechnical features.
The Indian Museum of North America houses a large collection of art and artifacts reflecting the diverse histories and cultures of over 300 Native Nations. The Museum, designed to complement the story being told in stone on the Mountain, presents the lives of American Indians and preserves Native Culture for future generations.
Planning your visit to Crazy Horse Memorial
| Location: | 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730 GPS coordinates (+43.820279, -103.640092). |
| Website: | crazyhorsememorial.org/ |
| Telephone: | T: (605) 673-4681 |
| Hours: | 9 am – 5 pm |
| Fees: | $35.00: 3 or more people in a vehicle $30.00: 2 people in a vehicle $15.00: 1 person in a vehicle $10.00: Per person on a motorcycle, bicycle, or walking |
Best time to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial
The memorial is located in the Blackhills of South Dakota. In the winter months, it can be very cold and snowy so you’ll need to wrap up warm. Conversely in the summer months, it can be hot and sticky.
Other places close by worth visiting
CUSTER STATE PARK
Custer State Park is famous for its bison herds, other wildlife, scenic drives, historic sites, visitor centres, fishing lakes, resorts, campgrounds and interpretive programs. In fact, it was named as one of the World’s Top Ten Wildlife Destinations for the array of wildlife within the park’s borders and for the unbelievable access visitors have to them.
MOUNT RUSHMORE
Mount Rushmore is a relatively recent creation and started as a concept by state historian Doane Robinson in 1923. The choice of artist was Gutzon Borglum, a radical sculptor with a sense of scale and outlandish ambition.
THE MAMMOTH SITE
The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD is a truly incredible place to visit. We call in every time we are in the area as it is always changing.
Accidently, discovered during a construction project, The dig site is uncommon as the mammoth bones that the excavation has exposed have been left in situ and can be viewed by visitors from raised walkways. It is a most unusual exhibit.
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK
Regarded as sacred by American Indians, exploration of the the area known a Wind Cave did not begin until 1881, when the entrance was noticed by two brothers, Jesse and Tom Bingham. They heard a loud whistling noise, which led them to a small hole in the ground, the cave’s only natural opening.
Today, you can visit the caves and the beautiful plains on the surface above.
5. SOUTH DAKOTA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM
I still get excited when I get the chance to visit a new museum dedicated to air and space, so when I discovered on our journey through South Dakota the South Dakota Air & Space Museum at Ellsworth Airforce Base I jumped at the chance to visit. Like many such aerospace museums, there was plenty of interesting aircraft on display. There are over 30 vintage military aircraft ranging from World War II bombers to the modern-day B-1.
6. MINUTEMAN MISSILE HISTORIC SITE
If you are looking for another opportunity to catch up on cold-war history and nuclear proliferation then check out the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.
The Minuteman Missile field covered the far western portion of South Dakota from 1963 through the early 1990s. There were 15 Launch Control Facilities that commanded and controlled 150 Launch Facilities (Missile Silos) holding Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. The missile field was operational, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, for thirty years.
You can visit the new visitor centre and take tours of the sites themselves.
7. WALL DRUG STORE
As you travel around America, especially the mid-west you’ll come across billboards advertising the Wall Drug Store. These billboards are located, in some cases, hundreds of miles from the store itself mostly along a 650 mile stretch of I-90. Apparently, there are more than 300 paid for billboards, some located internationally, and a whole load more unofficial billboards.
The store itself has become a popular stop-off point for people travelling through South Dakota or visiting the local attractions such as Badlands National Park or en route to Mount Rushmore.
8. BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK
The Lakota gave this land its name, “Mako Sica,” meaning “land bad.” Extreme temperatures, lack of water, and the exposed rugged terrain led to this name. In the early 1900s, French-Canadian fur trappers called it “les mauvais terres pour traverse,” or “bad lands to travel through.”
Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed-grass prairie in the United States.
Where to stay?
1. SUMMER CREEK INN & SPA
Located in Rapid City in the Black Hills region, 18 mi from Mount Rushmore National Monument, Summer Creek Inn & Spa features a spa centre and hot tub. The bed and breakfast has a sun terrace and views of a waterfall and a garden, and guests can enjoy a drink at the bar. Free private parking is available on site.
Certain rooms feature a seating area where you can relax. A terrace or balcony are featured in certain rooms. Superior rooms include a spa bath or a hot tub.
2. SWEETGRASS INN BED & BREAKFAST
Located in Rapid City, Sweetgrass Inn Bed & Breakfast offers accommodations with a restaurant, free private parking, a bar and a garden. This 3-star inn offers a shared kitchen, room service and free WiFi. The accommodations provides evening entertainment and an ATM.
Journey Museum is 8.1 mi from Sweetgrass Inn Bed & Breakfast, while Rushmore Mall is 9.9 mi from the property. The nearest airport is Rapid City Regional Airport, 11 mi from the inn.
3. UNDER CANVAS MOUNT RUSHMORE
If you are looking for something more adventurous than the typical hotel experience then you might want to consider Under Canvas Mount Rushmore.
Fancy a glamping experience in safari-style tents then this may be the place for you. Canvas Mount Rushmore is tucked within Ponderosa Pines and Common Juniper, located on an original gold mining settlement less than 4 miles from Mount Rushmore National Monument. Offering upscale accommodations and majestic views of Mount Rushmore and the surrounding Black Hills
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