Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore

Today our group visited the Black Hills, home to bunch of national forests, parks, state parks and monuments. Mount Rushmore was very majestic. There is a great amount of info at the park about America and how we realized our manifest destiny. It was a bit difficult, after seeing the "losers" in the Westward Expansion, to read such a one-sided and positive description of American expansion. However, I do not want to look totally negatively upon a rather visionary project and the lives of four visionary Presidents. The Indians, in response to Mount Rushmore, have private funded the construction of a monument to Crazy Horse, the Indian Chief at Little Bighorn. The monument, also to be carved out of stone, if ever completed, will probably be one of the wonders of the world. The thing is massive, intended to be over 500 ft high...progress goes slow. After 50 years, they have completed the face...they still plan for a torso, extended arm, front half of his horse. Not only this, but they want a huge heritage museum for Indians. The sculptor, not an Indian, refused to take federal funds, a policy that continues after his death. All-in-all a beautiful day in one of the truly beautiful parts of the country--complete with Buffalo on the side of the roads!