Location: Keystone, SD
Length of Stay: 1 Night (June 2018)
National Park Service Fee: $10/vehicle
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial was our next destination after Yellowstone National Park. On our way to Keystone, South Dakota (where Mt. Rushmore is located), we also made a stop by Crazy Horse Memorial which is only about a 25 minute drive from Mt. Rushmore. As it turns out, one of the men who helped construct Mount Rushmore was actually asked to construct Crazy Horse, crazy right?!
Mt. Rushmore was establish in 1925, but construction didn't start until 1927 and was completed in 1941. This famous monument attracts nearly two million tourists each year[1] and is definitely an American icon that should be seen if you find yourself passing through western South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore features the faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln (from left to right). The Rangers on the premises hold hourly talks educating the public about each of the featured President's elections and how they changed the course of American history. For example, the election of 1800 in which Thomas Jefferson won is credited with being a revolutionary election that ushered in the age of what we now know as 'Democratic-Republican' rule in American Politics[2].
Destination: Keystone, SD
Length of Stay: 1 Night (June 2018)
National Park Service Fee: $10/vehicle
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial was our next destination after Yellowstone National Park. On our way to Keystone, South Dakota (where Mt. Rushmore is located), we also made a stop by Crazy Horse Memorial which is only about a 25 minute drive from Mt. Rushmore. As it turns out, one of the men who helped construct Mount Rushmore was actually asked to construct Crazy Horse, crazy right?!
Mt. Rushmore was establish in 1925, but construction didn't start until 1927 and was completed in 1941. This famous monument attracts nearly two million tourists each year[1] and is definitely an American icon that should be seen if you find yourself passing through western South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore features the faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln (from left to right). The Rangers on the premises hold hourly talks educating the public about each of the featured President's elections and how they changed the course of American history. For example, the election of 1800 in which Thomas Jefferson won is credited with being a revolutionary election that ushered in the age of what we now know as 'Democratic-Republican' rule in American Politics[2].
Crazy Horse Monument
Destination: Black Hills, SD
Length of Stay: 1 Night (June 2018)
Entrance Fee: $25/vehicle
Located in Black Hills, SD, Crazy Horse Monument began construction in 1948 and is still under construction as of 2018. Why is this monument still being constructed after over 70 years? Well, the project was started by one man, Korczak Ziolkowski, and is continued out by his family today. Not only is this a living monument still under construction, but Crazy Horse Monument also features museums about the history, art, and culture of the native North American Indians. The Museums are called The Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Educational and Cultural Center. Not only do the funds from the entrance tickets fund the ongoing construction and the museums, it also supports the Indian University of North America (also founded by the Ziolkowski family).
The man Crazy Horse was born around 1840 as a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. During this life, the European settlers threatened the land he knew as his home. He wanted nothing more than to be a great warrior and protect the rights of his own people. In 1876, Crazy Horse led a group of Lakota warriors into the battle known as Battle of Little Bighorn. After an overwhelming victory for the Lakota tribe, a truce occurred between the U.S. Calvary forces and the Lakota Tribe. In 1877, Crazy Horse went to Fort Robinson for negotiations with the Americans, but during this time an altercation broke out and Crazy Horse was stabbed with a bayonet. Shortly after this occurred, he passed away in the early hours of that September morning. There are no known pictures of him, as Crazy Horse believed that any photo taken of him would be imprisoning part of his soul.[3]
Crazy Horse Monument
Destination: Black Hills, SD
Length of Stay: 1 Night (June 2018)
Entrance Fee: $25/vehicle
Located in Black Hills, SD, Crazy Horse Monument began construction in 1948 and is still under construction as of 2018. Why is this monument still being constructed after over 70 years? Well, the project was started by one man, Korczak Ziolkowski, and is continued out by his family today. Not only is this a living monument still under construction, but Crazy Horse Monument also features museums about the history, art, and culture of the native North American Indians. The Museums are called The Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Educational and Cultural Center. Not only do the funds from the entrance tickets fund the ongoing construction and the museums, it also supports the Indian University of North America (also founded by the Ziolkowski family).
The man Crazy Horse was born around 1840 as a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. During this life, the European settlers threatened the land he knew as his home. He wanted nothing more than to be a great warrior and protect the rights of his own people. In 1876, Crazy Horse led a group of Lakota warriors into the battle known as Battle of Little Bighorn. After an overwhelming victory for the Lakota tribe, a truce occurred between the U.S. Calvary forces and the Lakota Tribe. In 1877, Crazy Horse went to Fort Robinson for negotiations with the Americans, but during this time an altercation broke out and Crazy Horse was stabbed with a bayonet. Shortly after this occurred, he passed away in the early hours of that September morning. There are no known pictures of him, as Crazy Horse believed that any photo taken of him would be imprisoning part of his soul.[3]
See how this fits into the North American Road Trip:
