Crazy Horse Memorial Carved into Mountain

(CBS)  In South Dakota's Black Hills, a mountain foreman named Cas Ziolkowski can finally see his family's dream taking shape.

It's the most mammoth mountain sculpture in the world in both size and scale, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann . An outsized replica of a statue of Crazy Horse, the Lakota Indian chief who wiped out Custer's men at Little Big Horn.

When finished, it'll stretch 641 feet long, rise 563 feet tall, almost eight feet higher than the Washington Monument.

Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski

All the towering vision of one man. Not Cas, but his father.

In 1947, a local chief convinced sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create a lasting memorial to American Indians.

Korczak's willpower and ego were both as big as his mountain.

In 1977, he told "60 Minutes": "Of course I'm egotistical. I believe I can do it. I know I can do it."

"He was a visionary. A man that believed," said his son. "And here it is, sixty years, getting done."

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Korczak worked at his vision until he died in 1982.

With Korczak gone, many skeptics thought his family would pack it in. Instead, they dug in, and proved they were here to stay.

They finished the chief's head first - a relatively simpler job than the horse's head. It took 10 years. But people can see the progress for miles around. Over the decades, blasting and drilling away 7 million tons of rock chiseled the chief into focus.

Guests and private donors have paid for every dime of the project.

Seven of Korczak's 10 children still work on this family's dream.

How much longer to finish? Fifty years? A hundred? Ruth, their mother and Korczak's widow, refuses to guess.

"Doesn't matter when it's finished," she said. "What matter is the work never stops and you stick with it until it's done."

This family made a commitment to America's Indians. They intend to honor it, however long it takes.

[sadiea]

my god,... ppl actually think that crazy horse is a conspiracy by a family? remember people. they are building it.... its progress can be seen miles away... so to say that is blasphemy! and to whine about the length of time it takes to finish... if u dont like it get ur happy a** up there and start chisling ur self, if not, i suggest finding something else to analyze.

[Red_feather]

It does not look much like him now; but, it is not finished. I think it is good to honor Crazy Horse. He is one of my favorites, Chief Crazy Horse. The Great Warrior!

[Denton_Lafferty]

This is no honor, no memorial, this carving gives me no reason to be a proud oglala lakota. This carving desecrates the sacred he' sapa (black hills). This "memorial" is merely another trophy of euro american conquest honoring their pride of the indigenous holocaust of north america. To desecrate nature is to desecrate the creator. Its a disgrace to humanity and the spirit of crazy horse and his people. Simply put, this carving is another disgusting scar, made by the white man for the white man... Hoka he' Oglala Oyate,

[sadiea]

everyone has their own ways of honoring someone's memory... its art, a form of art... god made this earth and everything on it for us to use, see, and enjoy. I understand the fact that he did not like to be photographed etc, but here he is not. This is just a reminder for ppl of his bravery and the legacy he leaves behind.. who would not want to be remembered??? I am sure no one intended to offend anyone by starting this... it is just a person who wanted to show his respect for someone else, who he respected... nothing more, nothing less. I dont believe it is a trophy, as it is not for favor, or to win anything, or a prize of anykind... it is for everyone to see, and learn about history. American history.... Native american history is american history!!! they deserve their place in time, and to be honored and remembered. that is just my opinion

[bubbadubba]

At last, America has a large memorial to the largest and longest holocaust in world history, the holocaust against the American Indian by Europeans which lasted 500 years and murdered more than 100,000,000 American Indians for money and land.
It is time the American Indian got their holocaust memorial.

[Denton_Lafferty]

this is a disgrace, and the figure is more like 500,000,000

[longtree-2009]

suppose it's nice as far as art is concerned. but who really cares about crazy horse? 100% native indians are hard to find these days and most live on a reservation. the indians are dwindling in population. crazy horse was not a founding father of u.s. constitution but part of an indian tribe, thinking sioux. unless you are a 100% sioux, crazy horse means nothing. it is no doubt on an indian reservation and meaningful to full blooded indians but to the rest of us doubt it means squat.

[ianlou]

On the face of Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia is 90 foot carvings of the leaders of the Confederates of the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson. This monument is no different, Brave men who won many battles but lost their war.

[rwsmith29456]

Some day a LO-O-O-Ong time from now somebody will chisel the last chip and the thing will be finished. Probably not in my lifetime.

[senseofproportion]

He looks like Jimmy Durante.

At some point in a man's life he reaches an understanding that nothing stands still. "mother" earth piles the rocks up this way and then she changes her mind and piles them up that way. Who can put themselves in mother earth's moccassins and speak for her? All we can do is use the rocks she has provided in any way we want.

[Red_feather]

They are not done. You can see pictures online of what Crazy Horse looked like. He was very handsome and did not have a big nose.

[OldTimeTruth]

This is great a real founding Father on a mountain! About time to get history right!

[Red_feather]

You are right.

[proudmilvet]

For this to become a National project, the Republican Party would also Demand that Ronald Reagan's image be carved into Mt. Rushmore. That would probably be the only thing that they would'nt object spending money on.

[sioux4life1]

There has never been a accurate description of Tshunka-Witko, His Horse Crazy, nor has there been any photos of him neither, so like many would say its not him, and I feel in his words and teachings he would never would have permited this to be done to the Black Hills.

[DoctorGlennPHD]

I agree. And when did Crazy Horse become a chief? I've visited the site, and if Crazy Horse was alive today he would raise Hell over the monument. It's an ugly scar on the face of Mother Earth.

[novamba]

an ugly scar on the face of mother earth? where do you live? under a cave or in the trunk of a tree? if as I suspect you are a suburb dweller, I guarantee you that scar is one the earth would more appropriately be able to do without. This is art and it is beautiful. We belong on this earth as much as any other species, and we have the ability to adorn it as we see fit. get over it.