The Rapid City Journal reports that a new long-distance competition, the Run Crazy Horse marathon and half marathon, will be held next fall.
Veteran marathon organizer Jerry Dunn of Spearfish is teaming with race director Emily Wheeler to organize the October run from Crazy Horse Memorial to Hill City.
Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore National Memorial were previously featured for four years in a different marathon that has been discontinued. For more, see Journal reporter Jeff Budlong’s report here.
Thanks to Chip Davis for allowing use of his Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music, Crazy Horse Memorial will feature a festive evening program, “Mannheim Meets the Mountain,” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 18 through Jan. 3. The music will stream through the Memorial’s visitor complex and public address system as colorful light beams play across the world’s largest carving in progress.
In addition, a nightly movie will be featured at 7 o’clock in the Memorial’s Welcome Center theater, including “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Christmas Carol,” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Admission for the light-music show and movie will be three cans of food per person for the KOTA Care & Share Food Drive.
The visitor facility is festooned with holiday decorations, and free cocoa will be available in addition to free coffee served daily at the Memorial. The Laughing Water Restaurant will offer food specials and the museum gift shop has holiday discounts through Jan. 4.
On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, the visitor complex and restaurant close at 4 p.m.
Christmas Day, Dec. 25, the restaurant will be closed and the visitor complex closes at 4 p.m. The music and lights program will be shown both nights.
For details, call 673-4681.
Winter 2009-2010 flipped from record cold in October to being unseasonably warm in November. The change enabled our mountain crew to continue making significant strides in roughing out the colossal horse’s head. And whether warm or cold, the weather has not deflated the holiday spirit here. Special thanks go out to: Anne Z-Christensen and the maintenance crew for setting up these decorations, Mike Morgan for taking and editing the video and finally Chip Davis, founder of Mannheim Steamroller for letting us use his music as the soundtrack!
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL — Korczak Ziolkowski has been gone for 27 years now, and on the anniversary of his death, people bring flowers to his tomb.
They walk up the gravel path, softened by damp moss and a mosaic of fallen aspen leaves, and shake hands with one of his sons, who stands to greet visitors on a cold fall day at the granite mountain encasing Crazy Horse, his stallion and the dreamer who created them.
Another year has passed since Ziolkowski died Oct. 20, 1982, at age 74.
Another year since he is said to have told his wife, “You must work on the mountain — but go slowly so you do it right.”
Another year for people to watch the progress and wonder, when will it be finished?
“Any time anybody asks me how long this is going to take, I say it’ll probably take less time than we think,” says Jeffrey Dean, executive director of the International Society of Explosives Engineers.
As we celebrate the holidays we are mindful that this is especially a time of thanks and giving.
Each of us here at Crazy Horse has much to be thankful for – our lives, families, friendships and work. And our friendship with you is one of the gifts we truly treasure. Thank you for the support of our dream and effort to honor all Native Americans and the opportunity to serve with you in that endeavor.
Your help is proof that those who believe they will make a difference can achieve their goals. As I look out on a crisp blue Crazy Horse day, I believe that our best days are coming.
The gifts you share with us – the encouraging words, the financial contributions, the volunteer advocacy, the effort for the first-time and return visits – are an inspiration. I am thankful for those who light our way and nurture our future with kindness.
The growth of the project and the expansion in the ranks of our believers are a fitting tribute to the legacy of Chief Henry Standing Bear and Korczak, and positive examples for our children and grandchildren.
Wherever you are and whatever you celebrate in the coming weeks, we hope your holidays are filled with peace, prosperity, good will and love.
Thank you for your friendship, kindness and loyalty. May the happiness of the holiday season be yours throughout the New Year.
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL – This week’s traffic lights change at Crazy Horse Memorial signals its shift to winter seasonal operations.
But work continues daily as weather permits, and at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, a blast on the world’s largest carving in progress will remove 2,589 tons from the horse’s head area.
Travelers on Crazy Horse Memorial Highway, U.S. 16/385 between Custer and Hill City, are advised that state highway crews have switched the intersection lights to flashing mode at the memorial’s entrance. Motorists leaving and entering the memorial must first stop, but other traffic continues under flashing amber caution lights.
During winter, the memorial is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, including holidays, with the Laughing Water Restaurant open until 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and serving brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Weekend admission to the memorial through mid-June is free, with a suggested donation of three cans of food per person for the KOTA Care & Share Food Drive.
At dark nightly, spotlights illuminate the mountain carving for one hour. Admission to the parking lot is free during that period.
For more about the nonprofit Crazy Horse Memorial and its programs to honor Native Americans, call 673-4681.
Almost 27 years to the day after Korczak Ziolkowski’s death, another layer of his plan for the Crazy Horse Memorial is unfolding.
The site of his monumental sculpture is becoming a satellite educational affiliate of the University of South Dakota.
It’s practically a perfect match of mission and location.
The program will start next summer, if possible, with college prep classes and freshman-level college courses, including English, math and Native American cultural classes.
An important goal of the affiliate will be to boost educational odds for Native American students.
While college participation has been improving steadily for the past three decades, according to the Department of Education, Indian enrollment still is the lowest of any demographic group, and degree completion is about half that of the national average.
The combination of college-prep and freshman classes, with a potential to earn up to 12 college credits, will give students a leg up on both enrolling in and completing college.
All of this pleases Ruth Ziolkowski, Korczak’s widow and the president and CEO of Crazy Horse Memorial, because education was part of the couple’s vision for the monument from the beginning.
USD will benefit, too. What better place to teach Native American studies than at a site dedicated to remembering tribal history in the heart of the Black Hills, sacred to many tribal traditions?
Thanks to gifts from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford and Donna and Paul Christen of Huron, this program is a boon both for the memorial and USD – but above all, for Native American students’ potential success.
Additional Facts
THE FACTS
* The University of South Dakota is opening a satellite educational affiliate at Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills.
* Philanthropist T. Denny Sanford donated $2.5 million to build the complex. Interest from a $5 million endowment from Donna and Paul Christen of Huron will provide for operating costs.
* Enrollees, mainly Native American students, will be able to earn six to 12 college credits.
The announcement came with a blast as The University of South Dakota confirmed earlier this month that Crazy Horse will become a satellite affiliate of USD. During Native Americans’ Day on Monday, Oct. 12, USD announced a new educational partnership with Crazy Horse, which coincided with a dynamite blast on the historic carving.
The partnership will include college preparatory classes and introductory freshmen courses at a new $2.5 million facility that will be built as weather allows. The goal is to offer classes as early as next summer, according to Jack Marsh, executive director of the Freedom Forum’s Al Neuharth Media Center at USD, Freedom Forum vice president and a board member of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.
“USD will hire special faculty, write curriculum, and teach preparatory and college-level courses primarily to Native American students,” Marsh explained. “The Crazy Horse and USD academic partnership will begin as a summer program.”
A $2.5 million donation from Sioux Falls, S.D., philanthropist T. Denny Sanford will pay for construction costs of a learning center, complete with classrooms and a residence hall. He was at the controls of a D-8 bulldozer on Sept. 27 to break ground for the complex. USD officials hope to launch the program when the facility is completed in mid-2010. The operating costs will be paid with interest earnings from a $5 million endowment from Donna “Muffy” Christen and her husband, Paul, of Huron, S.D. Marsh said the Memorial hopes the learning center will be fully operational by 2011.
“It’s really another step in a dream coming true,” Crazy Horse Memorial president and chief executive Ruth Ziolkowski said. She said her late husband, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, envisioned more than the mountain carving, making a university and medical training center for Native Americans part of the nonprofit memorial’s mission.
The couple began awarding scholarships to Native American students in 1978, a program that has since awarded more than $1.2 million. Crazy Horse also has hosted university-accredited classes since 1996.
“The scholarships started the educational component of our overall plan, and now with the residence hall, we can have more young people working here, learning and being productive. And, hopefully, having some fun during the summer,” Ruth Ziolkowski said.
She said Crazy Horse will sponsor two distinctive features in the program: scholarships to qualified Native Americans to pay for tuition and books, and paid student internships. Students living on campus in the residence hall will experience the value of work at the memorial’s visitor complex. Learning objectives will be tied to various positions at the Crazy Horse Welcome Center/Studio complex.
According to Laurie Becvar, dean of the Graduate School and Division of Continuing and Distance Education at The U, students in the summer program can enroll in English, math and American Indian Studies culture classes, and earn from 6 credit hours up to 12 college credits from USD.
“This is part of an endeavor to make real a dream for Native American students that involves higher learning and ultimately, attaining a college degree,” said Becvar. “Through this partnership, Native American students can prepare for college in a number of ways and actually attain a semester of credit transferable to any college or university and applicable to degrees they intend to earn. Part of the program will involve making application to a college or university of their choice.”
While partnerships between tribes and academic institutions aren’t uncommon throughout the United States, according to Becvar, this is a first-of-its-kind approach in South Dakota, where the dream is to establish a college that celebrates the spirit of Crazy Horse.
“The Ziolkowskis want to share the story of Crazy Horse. The curriculum will embrace his prominence as a warrior, his perseverance and his leadership,” Becvar said. “It is our hope that the academic experience will instill in the hearts of students a grand dream and greater vision for themselves.”
The University of South Dakota expects to begin recruiting students for the program in January 2010. While the program is designed with external funding for Native American students, all applicants will be considered for the select number of student positions.
About The University of South Dakota
Founded in 1862, The University of South Dakota is designated as the only public liberal arts university in the state and is home to a comprehensive College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, the state’s only School of Law, School of Medicine, the accredited Beacom School of Business and the College of Fine Arts. It has an enrollment of more than 9,600 students taught by 400 faculty members. More information is available at www.usd.edu/press/news
The announcement came with a blast as The University of South Dakota confirmed earlier this month that Crazy Horse will become a satellite affiliate of USD. During Native Americans’ Day on Monday, Oct. 12, USD announced a new educational partnership with Crazy Horse, which coincided with a dynamite blast on the historic carving.
The partnership will include college preparatory classes and introductory freshmen courses at a new $2.5 million facility that will be built as weather allows. The goal is to offer classes as early as next summer, according to Jack Marsh, executive director of the Freedom Forum’s Al Neuharth Media Center at USD, Freedom Forum vice president and a board member of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.
“USD will hire special faculty, write curriculum, and teach preparatory and college-level courses primarily to Native American students,” Marsh explained. “The Crazy Horse and USD academic partnership will begin as a summer program.”
A $2.5 million donation from Sioux Falls, S.D., philanthropist T. Denny Sanford will pay for construction costs of a learning center, complete with classrooms and a residence hall. He was at the controls of a D-8 bulldozer on Sept. 27 to break ground for the complex. USD officials hope to launch the program when the facility is completed in mid-2010. The operating costs will be paid with interest earnings from a $5 million endowment from Donna “Muffy” Christen and her husband, Paul, of Huron, S.D. Marsh said the Memorial hopes the learning center will be fully operational by 2011.
“It’s really another step in a dream coming true,” Crazy Horse Memorial president and chief executive Ruth Ziolkowski said. She said her late husband, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, envisioned more than the mountain carving, making a university and medical training center for Native Americans part of the nonprofit memorial’s mission.
The couple began awarding scholarships to Native American students in 1978, a program that has since awarded more than $1.2 million. Crazy Horse also has hosted university-accredited classes since 1996.
“The scholarships started the educational component of our overall plan, and now with the residence hall, we can have more young people working here, learning and being productive. And, hopefully, having some fun during the summer,” Ruth Ziolkowski said.
She said Crazy Horse will sponsor two distinctive features in the program: scholarships to qualified Native Americans to pay for tuition and books, and paid student internships. Students living on campus in the residence hall will experience the value of work at the memorial’s visitor complex. Learning objectives will be tied to various positions at the Crazy Horse Welcome Center/Studio complex.
According to Laurie Becvar, dean of the Graduate School and Division of Continuing and Distance Education at The U, students in the summer program can enroll in English, math and American Indian Studies culture classes, and earn from 6 credit hours up to 12 college credits from USD.
“This is part of an endeavor to make real a dream for Native American students that involves higher learning and ultimately, attaining a college degree,” said Becvar. “Through this partnership, Native American students can prepare for college in a number of ways and actually attain a semester of credit transferable to any college or university and applicable to degrees they intend to earn. Part of the program will involve making application to a college or university of their choice.”
While partnerships between tribes and academic institutions aren’t uncommon throughout the United States, according to Becvar, this is a first-of-its-kind approach in South Dakota, where the dream is to establish a college that celebrates the spirit of Crazy Horse.
“The Ziolkowskis want to share the story of Crazy Horse. The curriculum will embrace his prominence as a warrior, his perseverance and his leadership,” Becvar said. “It is our hope that the academic experience will instill in the hearts of students a grand dream and greater vision for themselves.”
The University of South Dakota expects to begin recruiting students for the program in January 2010. While the program is designed with external funding for Native American students, all applicants will be considered for the select number of student positions.
About The University of South Dakota
Founded in 1862, The University of South Dakota is designated as the only public liberal arts university in the state and is home to a comprehensive College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, the state’s only School of Law, School of Medicine, the accredited Beacom School of Business and the College of Fine Arts. It has an enrollment of more than 9,600 students taught by 400 faculty members. More information is available at www.usd.edu/press/news
Mrs. Ruth Ziolkowski, the CEO/President of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, is presented a check from Mr. Vikram Pandit, Chief Executive Officer of Citi. Mr. Pandit was a on a cross-state tour unveiling and presenting grants from Citi and the Citi Foundation. The Crazy Memorial Foundation received a $25,000 check from Citibank South Dakota, which is intended to fund 25 $1,000 scholarships for Native American students to attend tribal or state colleges, universities, nursing schools or vocational-technical schools located in South Dakota. [For more information on the grants, click here]
Thank you. Over and over, visitors expressed their gratitude in the guest book outside the tomb of Crazy Horse Memorial sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.
About 150 people paid their respects during Korczak Remembrance Day on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Visitors included a local fifth-grade class, Black Hills area Native Americans and people from Alaska, California, Canada, Colorado, England, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.
The special event marked the third public invitation to remember the founder of the world’s largest mountain carving in progress since his death at age 74 in 1982. Admission to the memorial was free, with suggested donations of funds or three cans of food per person for the KOTA Care and Share Food Drive.
From the tomb area at the mountain’s base, those making the pilgrimage saw peeks of the colossal carving project through pine and aspen trees. Guests met with family host Adam Ziolkowski and in comments declared the setting “amazing,” “beautiful,” “peaceful,” “serene,” “wonderful,” but mostly “inspiring.”
Fog and rain somewhat reduced the view, but not the depth of sentiments.
“A tear for a great man,” wrote Richard Wenn of Yountville, Calif. The 91-year-old Air Force veteran walked the gravel road from the visitor center to the tomb during his first visit to Crazy Horse.
He served 23 years, including periods during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Wenn said he marveled at how much has been accomplished on the mountain carving.
“Stop and think about it,” he said. “The tools that he had in those days and the tools that they have today. It’s incredible.”
The salute culminated with a mountain blast removing 805 tons of granite covering part of the horse’s head below the eye.
“RIP. You are remembered,” wrote Molly Thunder Chief of Rapid City.
Korczak installed a knocker on the inside of his tomb’s steel door, joking that he would knock when he wanted out, in case work lagged on the projects he had mapped out.
Dale Oleson of California picked up on that humor, asking his fellow Army veteran to, “Send me an e-mail, Korczak.”
Lakota chief Henry Standing Bear and other tribal elders first invited the Boston-born Ziolkowski to carve a mountain memorial to honor Native Americans in 1939. The project, dedicated in 1948, continues with the nonprofit Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, led by Korczak’s wife, Ruth Ziolkowski.
Located on Crazy Horse Memorial Highway, U.S. 16/385 between Hill City and Custer, Crazy Horse is open every day. For more about the memorial, call 605-673-4681.
