The Emerging Face of Crazy Horse

Details are emerging in the face of Crazy Horse, the world’s largest sculptural undertaking, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In recent months, the eyes have been refined, eyebrows carved, lips roughed in and the bridge of the nose cut. So far, about 8.4 million tons of granite have been removed from the project, which was started in 1948 and has a target completion date of 2000. The Crazy Horse Memorial, which honors Lakota leader Crazy Horse, and all Native Americans, was designed by the late Korczak Ziolkowski, who was asked to carve it after winning a sculpture prize at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. He died in 1982 and his widow, Ruth, is overseeing the project. Long-range plans envision a museum and training center at the site. Crazy Horse, which receives no federal or state funding, is open to the public year-round. Last year, about 1.3 million people visited the nine-story-high face.