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Vol. 2, no. 4 (Winter 1999): | Crazy Horse: Sculptor Designs Towering Memorial to Sioux Hero | Books for Kids | Crazy Horse: Story of a Brave Sioux Leader | Book Nook | Books About Native Americans | The Color of Life (Teachers Talk) | Pre-15th Century Sinaguan Culture Thrived in Arizona |
The sculptor of the memorial, Korczak Ziolkowski (KORE-chok) (jule-KUFF-ski) began work on the memorial in 1948. He had little money but was rich in dreams. Chief Standing Bear had asked him to carve the monument so that whites would "know that the red man had great heros too." Ziolkowski started carving the mountain with dynamite and bulldozers and he never gave up.
Crazy Horse was a Sioux chief greatly honored in Native American tradition for leading Sioux warriors in their fight to save their lands a century ago. He protected the Sioux people from settlers who wanted their land in the 1870s (see story later in this issue). He died in 1877.
Ziolkowski worked on the Crazy Horse Memorial until he died in 1982. He blasted away millions of tons of granite, roughing out the basic shape of the statue. Crazy Horse's head alone is larger that the four President's heads at Mount Rushmore Memorial put together. The feather in Crazy Horse's headdress will measure 44 feet.
Today, Ruth Ziolkowski, nearly 80 years old, works toward completion of her husband's dream. She supervises the measuring, blasting and chiseling of the sculpture. She raises money needed to keep the project going. Several of her children also work with her.
Every year, a million tourists visit the work in progress and marvel at how much has been accomplished and what remains to be done. The statue is taller than the Washington Monument. Each eye is big enough to hold a car. The outstretched arm will hold 4,000 people.
The Ziolkowski family hopes to see Crazy Horse's face finished by the year 2000. They say the sculpture honors all Native Americans.
Sculptor Korczak was born in Boston of Polish descent. Orphaned, he grew up in foster homes and was completely self-taught. Ziolkowski's PADEREWSKI: Study of an Immortal won first prize at the New York World's Fair in 1939.
A strong believer in the free enterprise system, he said that Crazy Horse should be a non-profit educational, cultural and humanitarian project built by the interested public not the taxpayer.
The statue is just one of the Ziolkowski projects. They plan to build a university and a medical training center on the grounds for all Native Americans.
For more information about the memorial, contact the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, Ave. of Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730-9506, (605)673-4681.
A giant sculpture of a Sioux Indian hero named Crazy Horse is being carved into a mountain in South Dakota. When finished, the Crazy Horse Memorial will stand 563 feet high, as tall as a nine story building. It will be the largest statue made of an American Indian, towering over the South Dakota valley below it.
Image 1: Fifty years carving on Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota, continues.
The Brown Foundation is pleased to publish this newsletter for classroom teachers through which we will share resources available from national parks and museums. Established to maintain the legacy of the Brown decision, our organization plays an exciting role as a park partner. In 1990 we were instrumental in developing Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas. We hope you enjoy the Brown Quarterly and we eagerly anticipate your comments.
Executive Director:
Cheryl Brown Henderson
Book Reviews:
Linda Brown Thompson
Editor/Design:
Grace L. Wilson
gracewilsoneditor [at] cox.net
Mailing Support:
Pam Baker
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