Crazy Horse Memorial

I realize that for the majority of the white population, that have no comprehension of the true meaning of this monument, they need to review the reasons behind the total story. This is a monument for the entire Native American Indians tribes of this country and to honor our ancestors that gave so much under an opression from the government of this country. It is also a testimonial to their spirit. I am an American Indian descendant and I am proud of the heritage that I have. I am ashamed of the government of this country because to date they have not honored ANY treaty they signed with the American Indian, If you will take the time to research the Crazy Horse story, and his life, as well as Sitting Bull, Big Foot (massacered 12/29/1890 @ Wounded Knee, then buried them in a mass grave). All because the white man wanted the gold in the Black Hills, and made all these promises and never kept any to the people of the nations. This monument will eventually have a full college, dorms, dining halls and will be self sufficient and it's whole mission is to educate our native children to prepare them for the world outside of the reservations in this country, so that they can gain the self respect that so many of the white community have denied us, simply because we are indian. I admire the man who began this project so many years ago, and his widow, and children who are working to keep the dream alive. So many of you gripe about what the fees are, yet you will go to other attractions dealing with the white peoples parks and monuments and pay the admission to get in, and these places are getting government assistance and budgets to operate. The Crazy Horse Monument is solely being done on donations, no government assistance here. Yes, because I am of indian descent, I did not have to pay the admission, but I did make my donation, and continue to do so every year. I wish I could live long enough to see the final granite chip fly, but I know I wont, therefore I will continue to support a project with such far reaching hopes that the Crazy Horse monumenthas. If someone wants to really learn the true history of the Native American Indian, this is truly the place to start. It is inspiring to just stand there and look at this magnificent sculpture, and understand the true story behind it. I spent nearly four hours there taking in all the history inside the museum, that are not trinkets, but are made by true native artists. For those of you that look at all this and you do not SEE the history that is your loss. Stay in your self centered lives and be blind to what true history is all about

I think it was something worth seeing, because of its size, and how famous it is, but we didn't bother paying to go in. We got really good close-ups from the road, so that's really all you should do.

I remember visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial in 1995. I was on a month-long cross-country trip with my family at the time, and the fees to see it were among the highest of any park/memorial/monument we saw the entire trip. When we got in, we were hit with more fees and a collection of incredibly cheesy trinkets they were trying to pass off as a 'museum.' The 'memorial' wasn't even close to being finished and was a huge letdown. I just thought back on this trip and thought I'd search the internet for a recent picture of the progress that had been made. To my shock, it looks like NOTHING has been accomplished in more than 12 years since I was there. I can only imagine how much they've collected in fees from unsuspecting tourists in this time period. Do yourself a favor and visit Mt Rushmore (which is worth it) and skip this tourist trap. Have your great-great grandkids visit Crazy Horse when it might look like something.

OK. I was there in 1968 or so. 20 years into the project, Crazy Horse didn't have a face. Now he does. But that was completed 10 years ago. So for the last 30 years, that place has been raking in the dough and VERY little is being accomplished there - with the exception of building an incredible money machine. It's expensive to get it, and you have to pay even more if you want to get closer to the monument to see the face. (which is all that is done!!!) As someone else said - save your money. Buy a cheap pair of binoculars. What you see from the road is as good as it gets. As someone else said - this might be done in 200 years at the rate they are going. I think that's an optimistic number.

As other reviews explained, one cannot really see the sculpture without paying an additional bus fee. My experience, however, was worse yet! I arrived around 7 p.m.; I was told, after paying my admission, that the bus trips had ended at 6:15 p.m. and I was not permitted to walk to the sculpture. Perhaps the visitor center has interest for some tourists, but it didn't for me. I paid ten dollars for an experience similar to Mt. Rushmore, not for a chance to view photographs.

We found the memorial to be FANTASTIC. It was $10 dollars a car load and free the next day. Had to pay the $4 extra to get up close. Didn,t mind. The museum was educational and was very beautifully laid out. There was a great gift shop also. The light show at night that was FASCINATING, as well as educational. We enjoyed it very much. Note: If the funds from Crazyhorse were Federally funded it may never be completed as is with Mount Rushmore, and could be used for anything the government decided! This monumental task does'nt work at the speed of a computer, it's physical labor and very time consuming. It is a wonderful achievement to honor our true native of these United States.

I have been to the memorial many times and each time I am more impressed. It is a fantastic undertaking. It is being done with great dignity and shows love of the Indian people.I would return any time I had the chance.

....I regret using "tourist trap", rather I would rather reference "tourist desination". The experience was fun, I would recommend this project to others, and the visit was worth the time and some money. You have to go and witness at least one time....though I have a mixed opinion on the subject.

If you really enjoy American Indian history, then this would be a worthwhile stop for you. There are plenty of artifacts and pictures to enjoy. However, they seem to be strangely organized. If you just want to the see the monument itself, take a picture from the highway with your zoom-lens camera. That would have been enough for me, but my husband enjoyed the museum.

I was amazed at the size of the monument. I liked the gift shop very much. The short flim was very insightful, to the past achievements. Have family in S.D. so will be back. Thanks, Geri King