July 29, 2013 – Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument
With all that rain we had last night, our concerns about having rainy weather bedevil our visit to the monuments were misplaced. We got up early, around 5:45 am, not realizing that we had crossed another time zone putting us only 1 hour outside of PST. Because we extended our stay in Michigan by an extra day, we had to take if from our visit to the Mt. Rushmore area. So, we had a lot to accomplish today. The plan was to see Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument and then drive the 4 hours to Sheridan, Wyoming where we would stop for the night before heading into Yellowstone the following day.
We got to Mt. Rushmore early there weren’t many people there. The drive was beautiful and took us about 20 minutes to get there from our campground. The view of the monument was absolutely breathtaking as our motorhome wound its way up the mountain. We were driving through thick forests and making our way up the mountain. We would make our way around a bend or a rise and catch a glimpse of the white monument contrasting against the darker stone of the mountain. The sky was clear and blue with some clouds adding depth and contrast to the image. Eventually we get to the entrance. Once again we are greeted by an escort in a golf cart who guides us to our special parking area that gives us quick and easy access to the visitor center and viewing area that were only recently completed in 1998. Making our way to the main viewing area you can’t help be awestruck by the enormity of the project and the dedication of the men who built this monument. One impressive tidbit we learned was that 98% of the monument was carved with dynamite. Borglum developed a very accurate method of sizing and shaping the charges to remove just the right amount of rock.
The monument came about when a local historian suggested to the then SD congressman, the notion of creating the monument as a tourist draw to SD. The idea gained traction and Gutzon Borglum began construction in 1927. The US tax payers invested about $1mill into the construction and it was deemed completed in 1941. The original design called for the sculpture to extend to the waist of Washington, but without further funding the project stopped at the point we see it today. As awesome as the sight is, the project was not without controversy. Firstly, the location is on land that is deemed sacred by the Lakota Indians. The monument stands on land that was taken away from the Indians. Additionally, Borglum is purported to have been a member of the Ku Klux Klan and as such the monument is deemed by some to be a monument to white supremacy. I prefer to put all of this aside and marvel in the accomplishment. While, we can debate the merits of the 4 figures included on the monument, there is no debating that each had a hand in making the US what it is today.
From there we went to see the Crazy Horse Monument, which is a short 20-minute drive from Rushmore. In stark contrast, the Crazy Horse Monument is still far from being completed. However, the stunning face of Crazy Horse and he vague outline of his horse and outstretched arm can easily be seen. This monument was undertaken by Korczak Ziolkowski starting in 1948 at the request of the then chief of the Lakota nation. It has been underway without any federal funding and it has been solely through donations raised by the non-profit foundation that have enabled this project to come this far. Ziolkowski passed away in 1982, but the project has continued under the leadership of his wife and 7 of his 10 children.
The scale of the project is immense and far larger than Mt. Rushmore. To put it in perspective, each of the presidents heads on Rushmore are 60 ft tall. All 4 heads would fit into the space that Crazy Horse’s head occupies. It has taken 57 years to get to the point of completing the face, which was unveiled in 1998. The outstretched arm and the blocking of the horses head has taken place since then.
Once again the project is not without controversy. Many of the current Lakota members feel that it is sacrilege to desecrate the mountain, even if it is to celebrate one of their most revered elders – Crazy Horse.
From there we made our way to Sheridan, Wyoming, We will stay here overnight and then make our way to West Yellowstone, Montana. We will spend 3 days there exploring Yellowstone. There are a number of different routes to get to West Yellowstone. Two of the routes take you mountains. They are shorter in distance but because we will rise almost 9000 feet up 7% to 9% grades, it could be slow going in our motorhome. I will opt to take the longer route around the mountains, heading north into Montana and then back down..
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More later.
Photo 1 – We arrive at Mt. Rushmore
Photo 2 – view from the new Visitor Center
Photo 3 – Detailed view – the carving chips are visible below
Photo 4 – We model what the mountain would look like with the addition of a 5th face.
Photo 5 – View in profile
Photo 6 – We arrive at Crazy Horse
Photo 7 – we are still 2 miles away
photo 8 – A member of he Lakota tribe doing Indian Dances
Photo 9 – What it will look like when finished
Photo 10 – the Sculpotor’s model with the actual in background
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