Crazy Horse Monument History

Crazy Horse Memorial's success is due to the vision and dedication of Korczak Ziolkowski, his family, engineers, the Native American people, and the continued financial support from public citizens.

  • Sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, began work on Crazy Horse Memorial in 1948, at the request of Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear.
  • Korczak insisted that government funds not be used to support the project.
  • Korczak dedicated 36 years of his life to the monument’s construction.
  • Workers are currently sculpting the horse's head.

Korczak Ziolkowski’s Early Years

September 6, 1908

  • Korczak is born to Polish parents, in Boston.

Ages 1 – 20 

  • Korczak is orphaned at age 1 and grows up in a series of foster homes.
  • He shows signs of being a gifted sculptor without formal training and puts himself through Rindge Technical School.

1932

  • Korczak completes his first sculpture, a marble carving of Judge Frederick Pickering Cabot.

1939 

  • Korczak’s sculpture of Ignancy Jan Paderewski wins first prize at New York World’s Fair.
  • Korczak is asked to help Gutzon Borglum sculpt Mt. Rushmore. 
  • Word of Korczak’s talent reaches Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear.

Crazy Horse Memorial Is Born

1939/40

  • Korczak is approached by Chief Henry Standing Bear and other Lakota leaders to construct a mountain sculpture dedicated to the Native American people.

1940 – 1947

  • Korczak meets with Chief Standing Bear to discuss possible locations and designs for the memorial.
  • The project is put on hold while Korczak volunteers for service during WWII.

May 3, 1947

  • Korczak moves to the Black Hills, armed only with a sledge hammer, drill and a box of dynamite.  From the onset, Korczak believes that the project should not accept government funding, but should be funded solely by public citizens who, he believed, would see the value in such a memorial and support it with enthusiasm.

June 3, 1948

  • The memorial is dedicated to the Native American people following the first blast of many to come in the construction process.

1950

  • Korczak marries Ruth Ross, his life-long partner, equally dedicated to the memorial's success.

October 20, 1982

  • Korczak Ziolkowski passes away after dedicating 36 years of his life to Crazy Horse Monument. On his deathbed, Korczak’s parting words to his wife Ruth: “"You must work on the mountain-but go slowly so you do it right."
  • Korczak is buried in a tomb on the Crazy Horse Memorial site, blasted from rock, with an epitaph on the tomb door that reads: KORCZAK Storyteller in Stone, May His Remains Be Left Unkown

Crazy Horse Memorial After Korczak’s Death

At the time of Korczak’s death, work was still being done on Crazy Horse’s face. Korczak’s wife, his children, and a team of engineers continue work on the enormous sculpture to this day, funded entirely by generous donations.

Over the years, Crazy Horse Memorial’s campus expanded to include a museum, visitors center, educational center and more.

June 3, 1998 – The 88-foot high face was dedicated, exactly 50 years to the day that Korczak began sculpting the masterpiece.

Work is currently being done on the 22-story high horse’s head, and thousands of visitors continue to flock to Crazy Horse Memorial every year, to view this amazing mountain carving and to donate towards its progress and legacy to the Native American people.

View the local providers:

Crazy Horse Memorial : Custer, SD
Website  | Phone : (605) 673-4681

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