The Making—and Controversy—of the Crazy Horse Memorial

 

By Jennifer Uhlarik

 

Last month, I shared about the creation of Mount Rushmore. This month, I wanted to share another Western monument that sits only seventeen miles southwest of Mount Rushmore. Do you know the one I mean? It’s the Crazy Horse memorial.

 

WHO WAS CRAZY HORSE?

 

Crazy Horse was a Lakota Sioux leader who was born somewhere between 1840 and 1845, though common thought is it was around 1840 or ’41. He was the son of a Lakota medicine man and a Miniconjou woman. His mother passed away when he was a small child. In 1854, during his early teens, Crazy Horse witnessed the Grattan Massacre, where an Indian stole and ate a cow from one of the Oregon Trail wagon trains, and when thirty soldiers, led by Lt. John Grattan, marched in to retrieve the animal, gunfire broke out and all but one of the soldiers was killed. This sparked quite a war on the Plains and set Crazy Horse on a path to become a great warrior. 

 

After the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, where the U.S. Army slaughtered a sleeping camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho women and children, the Lakota and other tribes aligned with the Cheyenne to make war on the white man. Crazy Horse distinguished himself in battle over and over and participated in many of the biggest conflicts in the Plains Indian wars, including the Battle of the Little Big Horn (aka Custer’s Last Stand). But eventually, the tide turned against the Lakota and other Plains Indians, and Crazy Horse ended up surrendering in September of 1877. When an interpreter wrongly interpreted something Crazy Horse said, the general he was supposed to meet with was told he intended to kill the general during the proceedings. Crazy Horse was arrested, and as he struggled to free himself and flee, he was stabbed with a bayonet and died soon after.

 

Crazy Horse was known to be very caring toward his people, always helping the poor or elderly. He poured his life out to benefit his people, and he is remembered in history because of it.

 

THE MONUMENT

Crazy Horse Monument
(c) RJA1988
https://pixabay.com/users/rja1988-5385704/

 

Like Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse memorial is a statue carved into the side of a mountain in South Dakota’s Black Hills. The sculpting of Thunderbird Mountain (now known as Crazy Horse Mountain) began in 1948 when Oglala Lakota chief Henry Standing Bear unsuccessfully requested a Native American face be included in Mount Rushmore. Since his request was never answered, he took it upon himself to hire Polish sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to begin work on a mountainside statue dedicated solely to a Native American hero. In his letter to the sculptor, Chief Standing Bear wrote, “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too.” Ziolkowski agreed to the project, and the Department of the Interior gave the necessary permitting to begin work.

 

Unlike Mount Rushmore, the sculpture is still in progress and probably will be for many years to come. Chief Standing Bear chose not to receive any money from the government for the project, so it is completely funded by private donations from wealthy citizens and from the visitor’s center. Work began on Crazy Horse’s face in 1948, but it took until June 3^rdof 1998—a whopping fifty years—to complete that portion. 

 

1/34 Scale Model of the Crazy Horse Memorial.
(c) Mark Bellingham on Flickr
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/legalcode.en

When completed, the entire sculpture will show Crazy Horse seated on his horse, pointing toward his people’s sacred lands. It is a monumental undertaking, and if it is ever completed according to its current plan, it will be the second tallest sculpture in the world, following India’s Statue of Unity. The entire carving, as proposed, will be 641 feet long by 563 feet high. Crazy Horse’s face is 87 feet, 6 inches tall. Other dimensions of the proposed statue are as follows:

 

Outstretched arm—263 feet long

Pointing finger—29 feet, 6 inches long.

Horse’s head—219 feet (or 22 stories) high

Horse’s mane—62 feet high

Horse’s ears—54 feet long

Horse’s eyes—20 feet wide by 15 feet high

Horse’s feet—26 feet in diameter

 

Also included at the Crazy Horse monument are the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Educational and Cultural Center, the Mountain Carving Gallery, and the Sculptor Home and Studio.

 

THE CONTROVERSY

 

While many see this great monument as a positive step in telling the history and culture of the Native American people, there are many who aren’t as impressed. Many, particularly among the very Native American culture this statue tries to uplift, have taken issue with dynamiting the natural rock face to create a manmade image of Crazy Horse. They would far prefer nature be left alone. It is beautiful as is.

Commemorative postage stamp
released on January 15, 1982

 

Crazy Horse Commemorative Postcard from
the stamp's release day--January 15, 1982

To make matters worse, some have pointed out that during his lifetime, Crazy Horse took great pains to avoid being photographed, as he believed that to capture his image with a camera was to trap a piece of his soul with it. So these naysayers feel that it goes against the very spirit of Crazy Horse to create such a mammoth image of him. 

 

Others have taken issue with the fact that the Crazy Horse monument and park seems to be more about the sculptor, Karczak Ziolkowski, rather than Crazy Horse himself. And still more complaints have been raised by some of Crazy Horse’s family’s descendants that the money raised by the visitor’s center and shops isn’t going into completing the sculpture, but instead, to lining individuals’ pockets. 

 

It's Your Turn: How do you feel about Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial? Are they positive additions to the fabric of American culture, or do they detract? If the latter, why do you feel that way?

 

Award-winning, best-selling novelist Jennifer Uhlarik has loved the western genre since she read her first Louis L’Amour novel. She penned her first western while earning a writing degree from University of Tampa. Jennifer lives near Tampa with her husband, son, and furbabies. www.jenniferuhlarik.com

 

 

AVAILABLE NOW

 

Love’s Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik

 

A Friendship From the Past Brings Closure to Dani’s Fractured Family

 

When Dani Sango’s art forger father passes away, Dani inherits his home. There, she finds a book of Native American drawings, which leads her to seek museum curator Brad Osgood’s help to decipher the ledger art. Why would her father have this book? Is it another forgery?

 

Brad Osgood longs to provide his four-year-old niece, Brynn, the safe home she desperately deserves. The last thing he needs is more drama, especially from a forger’s daughter. But when the two meet “accidentally” at St. Augustine’s 350-year-old Spanish fort, he can’t refuse the intriguing woman.

 

Broken Bow is among seventy-three Plains Indians transported to Florida in 1875 for incarceration at ancient Fort Marion. Sally Jo Harris and Luke Worthing dream of serving on a foreign mission field, but when the Indians reach St. Augustine, God changes their plans. However, when Sally Jo’s friendship with Broken Bow leads to false accusations, it could cost them their lives.

 

Can Dani discover how Broken Bow and Sally Jo’s story ends and how it impacted her father’s life?

 

Hero or Foe?

 

By Cindy Regnier

 Most of us learned in our history classes about a controversial battle at Little Bighorn in Montana territory. Here, General George Armstrong Custer led his men of the 7th US Calvary regiment to a sound defeat by Chief Sitting Bull and the Sioux Indians, alongside Chief Crazy Horse and the Cheyenne, now known as Custer’s Last Stand. What led up to this battle and why is it so controversial?

Custer was born in Ohio in 1839. He spent part of his youth there and part in his sister’s home in Michigan. He taught school for a short while in Ohio before he attended the U.S. Military Academy, now known as West Point. He graduated from West Point in 1861 ranked dead last in his class. Maybe that should have been a warning sign.

Nonetheless, he entered the army as a second lieutenant just in time to fight in the Civil War. Partly because of his performance at the Battle of Bull Run, he was noticed by Major General George B, McClellan who was the commander of the Union Army of the Potomac. He made Custer part of his staff, which Custer used to his advantage by befriending several senior commanders. At the young age of 23 he became a brigadier general commanding the Michigan Calvary brigade. He was nicknamed the “Boy General” and continued to earn honors and respect for his battle successes, particularly at the Battle of Gettysburg. He quickly rose to division command and was appointed major general before his 25th birthday. His determined pursuit of the North Virginia Army is said to have been the turning point in Lee’s decision to surrender at Appomattox.

With the close of the Civil War it would seem that Custer’s military career would come to a halt, but instead the opposite happened. Custer became the commander of the newly formed 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment. Custer reported to western Kansas under Major General Winfield Hancock to fight the Plains Indians. Unfortunately, Custer did not adapt well to Indian warfare and began to act somewhat erratically. It is said that he gave an order to have all deserters shot without trial, then when he was sent to Fort Wallace for supplies, he abandoned his own regiment and went to Fort Riley to see his wife. Custer was court-martialed at Fort Leavenworth and found guilty of misconduct and suspended from his rank.

At this low point in his career, Custer and his wife Elizabeth (known as Libbie) worked together to reestablish his image. They took on roles of the cavalier and his lady, taking advantage of Custer’s theatrical talents. They took great pains with his appearance, perfuming his long blond hair and adorning his uniforms with eye-catching accessories such as a brocade velveteen jacket or a bright red tie. He became known for his large broad-brimmed hat which originally began as protection of his fair skin from sunburn, but became his trademark. 

Their efforts must have paid off for Custer’s superiors decided to give him a second chance. He was returned to duty before his court-martial ended and rejoined the 7th Calvary. His command was able to destroy Chief Black Kettle’s Village where Custer’s reputation as a top Indian fighter was established. 

Then, in 1874 he led an expedition to investigate possible gold deposits in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory which was also the sacred hunting ground of the Sioux. Custer erroneously reported finding gold and many fortune hunters invaded the territory. This caused the U.S. government to direct the Sioux and their Northern Cheyenne allies to move onto reservations by January 31, 1876, or be deemed “hostile.”

As the story goes, many of the Indian bands, in their remote and scattered winter camps, likely did not receive these orders and could not have reached the government agencies if they had. Because of the threats then directed at them, these non-reservation bands came together under the leadership Sioux leader Sitting Bull to wage war. They eventually made camp on the Little Bighorn River

On June 22, 1876, Custer and the 7th Cavalry prepared for battle against Sitting Bull in the Little Bighorn Valley. By the morning of June 25, Custer’s scouts located Sitting Bull’s village, and Custer’s plan was to position his 7th Cavalry close enough to attack at dawn the following day. But he was spotted by the Indians prior to the attack so Custer decided not to delay and attack immediately.

At noon on June 25, Custer divided his regiment into three battalions. The first was sent to charge the village head on, the second to the south to intercept any Indians fleeing in that direction, and the third under his personal command to strike the village from the north. This turned out to be disastrous since the fragmented regiment was now too far apart to support each other. In the battle, which came to be known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the Sioux and Cheyenne did not try to flee as Custer expected, but stood their ground, determined to either live or die in freedom. Earlier army intelligence caused Custer to believe Sitting Bull commanded about 800 warriors, but he actually faced some 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne, many with repeating rifles superior to Custer’s weapons. In a battle that may have lasted nearly two hours, the Indians cut off the 210 soldiers who had followed Custer toward the north and killed them all. Not one cavalry soldier survived. Two days later a scouting party discovered Custer’s un-scalped body lying in the middle a ring of dead cavalry horses. Custer bore two bullet wounds, either of which could have killed him. The victorious Sioux and Cheyenne captured 80 to 90 live horses from Custer’s battalion, leaving one badly wounded horse named Comanche, who managed to survive. For many years afterward, Comanche appeared in 7th Cavalry parades, saddled but riderless.

Despite the infamy of the battle, Custer was given a hero’s burial at West Point. Owing to his status as a Civil War hero, his death shocked the American people. Books and articles presented him as a role model to the country’s youth and statues were erected in his honor. 

Left nearly destitute in the aftermath of her husband's death, Libbie Custer became an outspoken advocate for his legacy through her books and lectures. 

Mrs. Custer never remarried, but dedicated her life to preserving the fame and glory of her husband.

However, Custer’s return to glory was short-lived in the eyes of many Americans as the government’s harsh treatment of Native Americans came to light and “hero” turned into “ruthless Indian killer”. Today, Custer and his final battle remain in controversy.

 What do you think? Was Custer a hero or a villain? Maybe a little of both? I’d love to see your comments.

Scribbling in notebooks has been a habit of Cindy Regnier since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born and raised in Kansas, she writes stories of historical Kansas, especially the Flint Hills area. Her experiences with the Flint Hills setting, her natural love for history, farming and animals, along with her interest in genealogical research give her the background and passion to write heart-fluttering historical romance.

How One Cow Started A War

© Andreas Krappweis

Hey everyone! Jennifer Uhlarik here. As I was researching recently, I stumbled across a rather interesting tidbit of information that I didn’t know. Were you aware that a single cow was one of the catalysts that sparked the First Sioux War?

One lonely cow!

It happened in August, 1854, near Fort Laramie, Nebraska Territory (present day Goshen County, Wyoming). A group of Mormon emigrants was traveling over the Oregon Trail when one of their cows wandered away. The bovine ended up in a large encampment of Lakota Sioux with roughly 4800 men, women, and children. There, a visiting Miniconjou warrior named High Forehead shot and killed the cow.

Mormon wagon train leaving
Council Bluffs, IA

The owner of the cow tracked it down but became fearful when he saw the encampment full of Sioux, so he went to Fort Laramie instead. He explained the situation to Lt. Hugh Fleming. Fleming, in turn, approached the Sioux chief, Conquering Bear, to discuss the situation. Conquering Bear attempted to negotiate, offering a horse from his own herd or a cow from the tribe’s herd, but the Mormon man demanded $25 cash. When they couldn’t come to terms, Fleming demanded the arrest of High Forehead, but Conquering Bear again wouldn’t agree since he had no authority over the Miniconjou tribe. They ended their negotiations in stalemate.



Second Lieutenant John Grattan, a fresh graduate of West Point, took matters into his own hands. He had little respect for the Sioux as warriors and went in search of a fight, so he took an armed detachment of thirty soldiers and one interpreter and marched into the Sioux encampment to arrest High Forehead. The interpreter, who was drunk at the time, began to taunt the Sioux warriors, calling them women and promising they would be killed by the soldiers. Grattan went to High Forehead’s tent and demanded that he surrender, to which High Forehead refused. Then, Grattan went to Conquering Bear to again negotiate. The chief once more offered a horse in exchange for the dead cow, but Grattan rejected the offer. He demanded the arrest of High Forehead. Again, the negotiations ended in stalemate. It was as Grattan walked back to his horse that the shooting began.

Red Cloud

The Sioux warriors had gradually flanked the soldiers during the negotiations, and one man became so nervous he fired his gun. The bullet struck the Sioux chief, mortally wounding him. With bows and arrows, the Sioux killed Grattan and eleven of his soldiers. The remaining men retreated to a rocky outcropping nearby, but a group of Sioux led by the rising war chief Red Cloud pursued and killed them all.

For days after the battle, the Sioux wreaked havoc on the nearby settlers, trading posts, and Fort Laramie. After three days, the Indians abandoned the large encampment and returned to their respective hunting grounds, going against the provisions of the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. When a burial party went into the encampment, they found the bodies of the thirty soldiers had been mutilated almost beyond recognition.

© Phil Konstantin

When news of the battle that became known as the Grattan Massacre reached the War Department, a plan for retaliation was formed. They sent Colonel William S. Harney to Fort Kearny with the intent to garner revenge. The Indian agent in the area forewarned the Sioux of the coming battle, and half the Sioux forces went to Fort Laramie and presented themselves as friendly. The other half under Chief Little Thunder’s leadership, remained at large, although they desired also to live peacefully.

On the morning of September 3, 1855, a 700-soldier force of descended on an encampment of 250 Brulé Sioux. Harney and his men killed more than one hundred men, women, and children that day, and also took roughly seventy prisoners. The Battle of Ash Creek, as it became known, began a long history of attacks and retaliations that would continue for many years on the Western frontier. In fact, The Battle of Ash Creek can be directly linked to one of the most famous cases of retaliation in all of Indian war history. One of the young boys who witnessed the massacre of family and friends at Ash Creek grew to be known as the great Sioux warrior, Crazy Horse, who twenty-one years later, rode into battle against Custer on the banks of the Little Big Horn.

It's your turn. How do you think the situation with the runaway cow should have been handled? Could war have been prevented?

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and made the top 10 and top 3 in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and five fur children.