Crazy Horse Memorial
A privately operated, still-unfinished mountain carving shares space with cultural collections and a complex debate over representation.
Artwork inspired by Korczak Ziolkowski
Work began in 1948 on Korczak Ziolkowski’s colossal mountain portrait of the Oglala Lakota leader commonly known in English as Crazy Horse. The face is complete, while work continues on the horse’s head and other enormous forms; the veranda and Wall of Windows are the standard viewing points, not a trail onto the active carving.
The visitor complex also contains three museums, an orientation film, and scheduled cultural programming. The Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is a private nonprofit rather than a tribal government, and Indigenous views of carving another Black Hills mountain vary substantially. Read Native criticism alongside the foundation’s account of Henry Standing Bear’s invitation and the Ziolkowski family’s work.
- Status
- Active, unfinished mountain carving
- Setting
- Crazy Horse, South Dakota, United States
- Admission
- Dated admission includes three museums
Quick guide
- Institution
- Private nonprofit, not a tribal government site
- Best practice
- Hold multiple Indigenous perspectives in view
Make the visit count
- Start here
- Use work began in 1948 on Korczak Ziolkowski’s colossal portrait of Lakota leader Tasunke Witko.
- Plan
- Treat the current mountain—not a model of the intended completion—as the object you are visiting.
- Test the interpretation
- Trace dated admission includes three museums.
- Plan the actual visit
- Confirm crazy Horse Memorial's current arrival, schedule, and accessible route Open daily year-round.
Good to know
Crazy Horse Memorial is a private nonprofit undertaking, not a tribal-government project, and Native opinions about carving another sacred Black Hills mountain remain divided.
Notice these
- Active, unfinished mountain carving
- Private nonprofit, not a tribal government site
- Hold multiple Indigenous perspectives in view