Crazy Horse Memorial

Faith can move -- or shape -- mountains...

We first saw South Dakota's Crazy Horse Memorial about 15 years ago. It didn't appear to have changed much since then but that's probably only due to the sheer size of the sculpture. To fully appreciate it, take a look at how small the earth moving equipment looks in the photo above.

The sculpture's final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet (195 m) long and 563 feet (172 m) high. The arm of Crazy Horse will be 263 feet (80 m) long and the head 87 feet (27 m) high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet (18 m) high.

It will likely be decades before it's completed.

From Wikipedia:

The memorial is a non-profit undertaking, and does not accept federal or state funding. The Memorial Foundation finances the project by charging fees for its visitor centers, earning revenue from its gift shops and receiving contributions. 

Ziolkowski reportedly was offered US$10 million for the project from the federal government on two occasions, but he turned the offers down. He felt the project was more than just a mountain carving, and he feared that his plans for the broader educational and cultural goals of the memorial would be overturned by federal involvement. 

What the final sculpture will look like...