A Crazy idea?

I was worried that the Crazy Horse project would be a disappointment, a tourist trap, a complete waste of time.  It's been going on for 65 years and won't be completed for another 40-50.  Give me a jingle when it's done, would ya?

I'm glad I was wrong again.  The movie showed a lot of interview footage of Korczak Ziolkwski, the Boston-born sculptor engaged by the Lakota (and the rest of Native American leadership) to develop this monument.  Ziolkowski looked liked the quintessential "mountain man." His long grey beard and leathery countenance, however, were simply a facade for his unmistakeable Boston brogue.   This is another great American story:  a man of Polish ethnicity, understanding the plight of the American Indians, and dedicating his life to a project that will honor the greatness of a their culture.  All the while, refusing to accept government funding to expedite it's consummation.

While it's fashionable to sympathize with the Native American people today, it certainly wasn't when Korczak blasted away the first rocks in 1947.

 I hope I'm alive to get that call.

Artist model juxtaposed with work site in background.

Classic Gardner-Denver compressor used on the site in earlier days.