250 Years · 50 States · One Historic Milestone

South Dakota · History

Crazy Horse Memorial Begins

1948

Crazy Horse Memorial Begins

In 1948, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began the work of carving a monumental sculpture of the Oglala Lakota leader Crazy Horse from the granite of Thunderhead Mountain in the Black Hills. The memorial, still under construction, is intended to honor the Native peoples of North America. It stands as a symbol of Indigenous heritage and an ongoing act of remembrance.