Rain clouds loomed as nearly 500 people gathered in piney surroundings on the old Eller Ranch north of Custer in the southern Black Hills.

The crowd faced a giant granite mound. They came to see the promised start of historic changes for the mountain, and maybe in the relationships of people.

It was Thursday, June 3, 1948.

Days before, pilot Jack Hoover flew his twin-engine plane over towns from Gordon, Neb., to Buffalo, S.D. A recording by David Miller promoted the ceremony over loudspeakers suspended from the plane.

Miller, an artist and author from Ohio, interviewed and painted portraits of 72 Native American veterans of Little Big Horn. He was the hunka (adopted) son of revered Lakota elder Black Elk and was something of an unofficial ambassador to the area’s Lakota (Sioux) people. He also served as a translator for warrior veterans and others who had been at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn and 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee.

Largely thanks to Miller, the 1948 crowd at the old ranch included five Lakota survivors of Little Big Horn and more than 40 other regional Lakota people in traditional beaded leather and feathered dance clothing.

For the ceremony, Adolph B. Day of Sioux Sanatorium in Rapid City portrayed legendary leader Crazy Horse; he sat on a sleek pony, and wore tanned leather breeches and a lone feather in his hair, just as Crazy Horse reportedly had dressed.

Journalists attracted to the event included Don Ultang, who flew in aboard the Des Moines Sunday Register’s “Good News VIII” airplane. He photographed sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear posing with the planned future for the giant granite mound.

Against the mammoth mountain backdrop, they presented to the crowd a small carved marble model, displayed atop a rough hewn ponderosa log scaffold.

The 2-foot-long statue told of famous leader Crazy Horse on horseback and gesturing to his home where “my lands are where my dead lie buried.” Korczak said the mountain memorial requested by Chief Standing Bear and other Lakota chiefs would amplify that story by 300 times, ultimately spanning 641 feet across and soaring 563 feet high to become the world’s largest sculpture.

“A lot of people think I’m trying to fly to the moon by even dreaming of the project,” Korczak told reporters.

Chief Standing Bear first made national news in 1927 when he led ceremonies to adopt President Calvin Coolidge into the Lakota tribe as “Leading Eagle.” The honoring, including a full headdress, thanked the president for officially making all American Indians U.S. citizens in 1924.

Coolidge came to the Black Hills in 1927 for an extended vacation and to christen the start of the Mount Rushmore mountain carving.

The national memorial portraying presidents Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln had inspired Chief Standing Bear and other elders to request a similar mountain monument honoring Native Americans. However, federal officials and Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum spurned them. So in 1939, the Lakota leaders turned to Korczak, that year’s champion sculptor at the New York World’s Fair.

He and Chief Standing Bear met and corresponded frequently regarding the Lakota’s mountain carving concept. Delays, including World War II, postponed the dream until the 1948 ceremony at the old ranch.

Although Korczak said he wanted to create the carving elsewhere, fearing public criticism of competing with Rushmore, Chief Standing Bear and his fellow chiefs prevailed on the location. They insisted that Crazy Horse Memorial be carved in the Black Hills, a sacred place that is the center of all things and the heart of the Lakota oyate (people).

Chief Standing Bear also won in naming the memorial for his maternal cousin Crazy Horse, the legendary selfless “itancan” (leader), as the symbol to show the world “the red man has great heroes also.”

Chief Standing Bear, on behalf of the elders, told the June 3 gathering that Crazy Horse Memorial would help create a bond of understanding and mend relations between all people.

Although not a government project, South Dakota Gov. George T. Mickelson helped to dedicate the nonprofit project that pledged to forever honor American Indian heritage and help preserve the living cultures.

“The memorial will serve to remind us of the debt we owe to these first Americans,” he said.

“I don’t believe there should be such a feeling of competition (with Mount Rushmore) because this memorial we are dedicating today belongs to the people from whom we took this beautiful area – they had it first.”

The audience included his seven-year-old son, also named George. The place and purpose apparently impressed him. Young George also would become governor, and he helped to formally established Native Americans’ Day in place of Columbus Day in South Dakota.

To launch the Crazy Horse carving, Korczak used a sledgehammer and a piece of drilling steel to “single jack,” or hand drill, four holes. The explosives’ detonating cord stretched for more than a mile to the ceremonial area, where Chief Standing Bear – with help from Gov. Mickelson and Korczak – was to trigger the blast.

That’s when rain chased away most of their crowd. And the water fouled the detonator’s connection to the blasting caps.

So Korczak’s hired hand Phil Randall climbed the mountain to trigger the 10-ton blast, which produced a barely visible poof of dust and smoke.

But Bob Lee of the Rapid City Daily Journal and Charles M. Miller of the Tripp Ledger photographed the historic start for the world’s largest sculptural undertaking.

Korczak saw the second try of the dedication blast as a good omen, not unlike starting again in building relations between the races.

“Something transpired on that occasion which can never be reproduced,” he said in a letter to the Custer County Chronicle. “To all who contributed of their effort and kindness to make the day more than ever an American chronicle, I want to say, with all my heart, “Thank you.”

The 6.2-mile (10K) walk will be Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2. The nonprofit Memorial honoring the heritage and living cultures of North America’s Indian people was dedicated on June 3, 1948.

There is no pre-registration for the volksmarch. Entrance gates open at 6 a.m., giving hikers time to park and complete registration forms before the trail opens at 8 a.m. Hikers have until 1 p.m. to begin their trek, and must complete the route by 4 p.m. No pets of any kind are allowed on the hike.

The sponsoring Black Hills Volkssport Association charges $3 per person regardless of age. A special medal, commemorative shirt and official AVA credit are available for an additional charge.

Admission to Crazy Horse is free for hikers contributing 3 cans of food per person or a financial gift to the KOTA Care & Share Food Drive.

Last year’s 11,622 hikers gave a record $13,084.26 and 21,691 pounds of food to benefit people served by the Feeding South Dakota food bank.

Because the weekend event draws large crowds, hikers and other Memorial visitors can anticipate parking some distance from the visitor complex and the hike registration area. Parking and bus shuttle services are free.

For the hike, sturdy footwear and layered clothing for possible changing weather are recommended. The rough, hilly trail gains 500 feet in elevation and reaches nearly 6,500 feet above sea level. Considering the challenges, hikers are advised to pace themselves according to their abilities. Families are encouraged to not bring baby strollers.

Area youth-oriented organizations will sell refreshments at four checkpoints along the trail. Water and portable restroom stations also will be available along the route.

Before or after their walk, hikers are free to tour the Memorial’s visitor complex. The Laughing Water Restaurant and snack shop will serve from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. The colorful “Legends in Light” laser and light presentation on the mountain carving starts at 9:15 p.m.

Officials say more than 218,620 people have made the walk up to the world’s largest mountain carving in progress and back to the visitor complex.

The route’s pinnacle point is at the 87½-foot-tall granite portrait, dedicated in 1998. To see the face, walkers congregate on what will be Crazy Horse’s 260-foot-long outstretched left arm. The artwork depicts a historic moment when Crazy Horse responded to taunts of a white trader by gesturing toward the Lakotas’ ancestral home and declared, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”

“In addition to special activities, these weekends offer an opportunity for visitors to see the winter progress on the mountain and new displays in the visitor complex,” Crazy Horse Memorial CEO Ruth Ziolkowski said.

Other June events at Crazy Horse include:

June 4 – The traditional blast remembering the start of the carving project 65 years ago is scheduled for 11 a.m., weather permitting. The commemorative blast will be delayed a day due to post-volksmarch duties.

June 6 – A demonstration of Lakota hand games by a group of Rapid City students will begin this summer’s weekly performance and lecture series. The programs begin at 6 p.m. each Thursday through Aug. 29. Admission to the Memorial to see the program is free with donations of three cans of food or a financial gift for the Feeding South Dakota food bank.

June 8 – The Indian University of North America at Crazy Horse begins its fourth summer program, welcoming 32 freshmen-level students from nine states. The prospective college students will continue their studies through Aug. 9.

June 14-16 – Father’s Day weekend features the Crazy Horse Stampede Rodeo and Gift from Mother Earth Celebration art show and sale. The Stampede starts with Great Plains Indian Rodeo Association action at 2 p.m. Friday, and follows with Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association events on Saturday and Sunday. The regional western and Native American art fair opens at 8 a.m. all three days, with vendors located throughout the visitor complex.

June 26 – The first of two annual night blasts commemorates the anniversary of the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn and Ruth Ziolkowski’s 87th birthday. The program begins at dark and includes the “Legends in Light” laser-light show.

Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City presented its Distinguished Service Award for long-term support of students. Foundation director Dr. Sid Goss accepted the plaque during the school’s May 18 commencement program at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Over the past 14 years (since 1999), the Crazy Horse Memorial Scholarship Fund has provided $181,500 to 328 Western Dakota Tech students, including special awards provided by the Donald J. Larus Memorial, Carole Hillard Memorial and the Jeffery Pond Memorial scholarships.

Since starting with one $250 grant in 1978, the Crazy Horse Memorial Scholarship Fund has provided $1.8 million to students, mostly Native Americans attending schools in South Dakota.

Odyssey of the Mind International presented its Creativity Award to Korczak and the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation for dedication to his dreams and striving to find creative solutions to make Crazy Horse Memorial a reality. Previous O of M Creativity Award winners include Walt Disney and the Walt Disney World Company, NASA, the Newseum museum of journalism, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Discovery Channel Communications, among others.

Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation Chief Operating Officer Rollie Noem accepted the honor during the 34th Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Officials say 15,000 to 16,000 attended the May 22 ceremonies in the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.

You can see one segment of her May 22 live reports below.

You can see the Black Hills Fox (KEVN) report by Jaleesa Irizarry here: http://www.blackhillsfox.com/2013/05/27/Hundreds-show-up-for-Crazy-Horse-blast-despite-low-cloud-cover

Dr. Laurie Becvar, senior associate provost and graduate school dean at the University of South Dakota, will become Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation’s new president and chief operating officer in July.

She will report to Ruth Ziolkowski, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski’s wife who remains at the Memorial’s helm as chief executive officer. Ruth’s daughters Jadwiga Ziolkowski and Monique Ziolkowski will continue to serve as executive vice president and director of mountain operations, respectively.

“We warmly welcome Laurie and we look forward to working with her,” Ruth Ziolkowski said on behalf of her family and the Memorial’s staff.

“Laurie Becvar is a highly qualified and motivated individual with a passion for Crazy Horse,” Board Chairman John Rozell of Sioux Falls said May 3. “She brings the skill set and experience needed to help continue the stellar operational performance exhibited at the Memorial over the past number of decades. She will be a great asset for the Ziolkowski family and the Foundation in accomplishing the Crazy Horse dream and all that it stands for.”

The nonprofit Memorial honors the historic heritage and living traditions of North America’s Indian people. The Memorial holds that education is the key to fostering understanding and reconciliation, as well as in assisting Native Americans to maintain vital cultures.

To establish its long-planned Indian University of North America, the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation turned to the University of South Dakota for assistance. Chairman Rozell said Dr. Becvar, as lead developer, has been instrumental in the success of the new university and its students.

“I was immediately inspired by the Crazy Horse story and mission,” Dr. Becvar said.

“I find Crazy Horse to be a place of faith, imagination and fortitude, where all people are accepted and inspired to fulfill their dreams. It is a South Dakota and North American treasure and I am honored and privileged to be a part of its progress.”

Over three years, 68 Native American and non-Native students have completed the 8½- to 10-week summer program that offers freshman-level math, English and Native Studies courses. Native American students completing the 2012 classes “significantly surpassed state and national averages” on college readiness tests, Dr. Becvar said. The low attrition rates among the students who have remained in college after completing the Crazy Horse summer program the past three years are equally impressive.

Longtime educator Dr. Sid Goss of Rapid City recently told his fellow Crazy Horse Foundation directors that the university’s overall early results are “nothing short of phenomenal.”

The unique program, a partnership involving the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation and USD, is funded privately by the Crazy Horse Centennial Fund endowment established by Muffy and Paul Christen, retired bankers from Huron, SD.

Crazy Horse Memorial began 65 years ago, dedicated on June 3, 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear and several Native American elders, including five Lakota veterans of the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, established Aug. 16, 1948, is the nonprofit entity governing the nonprofit cultural education project that includes the world’s largest mountain carving in progress. There currently are 26 volunteer directors on the board.

The Crazy Horse Memorial mountain crew noted the day with a double blast to help further the rough shaping of the horse’s head.

The tribute dates to 1983 when the South Dakota Legislature unanimously approved a concurrent resolution praising the Crazy Horse Memorial sculptor for his humanitarian contributions in honoring Native Americans. The special legislative recognition responded to Korczak’s unexpectedly death on Oct. 20, 1982.

Korczak moved to the Black Hills on May 3, 1947, at the invitation of Chief Henry Standing Bear and other Lakota elders, who asked him to create the mountain carving honoring Native Americans.

The South Dakota Tourism Department in 1983 also posthumously honored Korczak with the Ben Black Elk Award “for excellence in tourism development.” The sculptor’s colossal carving attracts ongoing international publicity that helps the state’s promotional efforts.

The award is named for the Lakota man who greeted Mount Rushmore visitors for decades. Ben Black Elk and his father, Old Black Elk, were friends of Korczak. Old Black Elk, a cousin of Crazy Horse, who died in 1877, told the sculptor about his relative’s prediction that “I will come back to you in the stone.”

“In addition to special activities, these weekends offer an opportunity for visitors to see the winter progress on the mountain and new displays in the visitor complex,” said Ruth Ziolkowski, the Memorial’s chief executive officer.

Admission to Crazy Horse Memorial on the following dates will be waived in exchange for three cans of food per person or monetary contribution for the KOTA Care & Share Food Drive benefitting people served by the Feeding South Dakota food bank:

• May 17-19, Friday through Sunday. Crazy Horse, other area attractions and state parks invite you to “See South Dakota.” The Memorial will be open from 8 a.m. until after the “Legends in Light” laser-light show. The dynamic visual storytelling program is projected on the mountain carving beginning at dark and starts Friday night, May 17.
• May 25–27, Friday through Sunday. The traditional Crazy Horse open house over the Memorial Day weekend will bring the seasonal return of American Indian art market and the anticipated opening of the new Mountain Museum addition.
• June 1-2, Saturday and Sunday. The popular Crazy Horse Volksmarch is a 10K or 6.2-mile round-trip hike along marked woodland trails to the carved face and back to the visitor complex. While admission is free to hikers contributing the food drive, the Black Hills Volkssport Association charges $3 per person for the hike.

The June hike coincides with the kick-off of the Memorial’s 65th year. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, Chief Henry Standing Bear and other Lakota elders, including five veterans of the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn, dedicated Crazy Horse Memorial on June 3, 1948.

The screening committee picked 32 freshman-level students and eight alternates from 78 applications.

The reviewers heard from students living in 10 states – Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The hopefuls included members of the Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, Lower Brule, Oglala, Rosebud, Standing Rock and Yankton Lakota (Sioux) tribes; and Athabascan, Blackfeet, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Chippewa, Crow, Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux, Gros Ventre, Navajo, Northern Arapaho, Ponca, Santee Sioux and Spirit Lake Sioux members.

Crazy Horse university students earn up to 14 academic credits they can claim in getting their degrees at other accredited schools. The Crazy Horse university students also work in paid internships, learning various job skills at the visitor complex.