SUNGRL

On Tuesday morning we left Deadwood, our destination for today being Denver in Colorado some 6 hours away.  We decided to drive through the Black Hills and visit Mount Rushmore along the way.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore, a granite batholith formation in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota.  Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865).  The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres (2.00 sq mi; 5.17 km2) and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.

Originally known to the Lakota Sioux as “The Six Grandfathers”, the mountain was renamed after Charles E. Rushmore, a prominent New York lawyer, during an expedition in 1885.  At first, the project of carving Rushmore was undertaken to increase tourism in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. After long negotiations involving a Congressional delegation and President Calvin Coolidge, the project received Congressional approval. The carving started in 1927.

Over 450,00 tons of rock were removed from Mount Rushmore to bring out the presidential faces.  Although about 90% of the rock was removed with dynamite, the remaining rock was removed by drilling with jackhammers and wedging the rock off the mountain.  The final finishing work on the faces was completed using small jackhammers and facing bits.  Air compressors located at the base of the mountain provided the power to operate these jackhammers.

Upon Gutzon Borglum’s death in March 1941, his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction. Although the initial concept called for each president to be depicted from head to waist, lack of funding forced construction to end in late October 1941.  No fatalities occurred during the construction.  

Mount Rushmore has become an iconic symbol of the United States, and has appeared in works of fiction, and has been discussed or depicted in other popular works. It attracts over two million people annually.

The Four Presidents

George Washington – 1st President – 1789 to 1797

George Washington was born on the 22nd February 1732 in Virginia and died on the 14th December 1799 aged 67.  He was a solider and served as an officer in the French & Indian War.  He was also the Commander in Cheif in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.  He was the first President of the USA and under his term the first tax laws were adopted and the Bill of Right became law.

“Time and habit are at least necessary to fix the true character of governments, as of other human institutions…. Liberty itself will find in such a government, with powers properly distributed and adjusted, it’s surest guardian.”  – Farewell address, September 17, 1796

Gutzon Borgum, the Sculptor said…

“This is the work that I love most, this intimate contact with the four men.  As I become engrossed in the features and personality of each man, I feel myself growing in stature, just as they did when their characters grew and developed.”

“Washington, as the guiding genius from the time of our national conception, through its struggle for life and the completion of its Constitution, becomes the central part of this great group.”

Thomas Jefferson – 3rd President – 1801 – 1809

Thomas Jefferson was born on the 13th April 1743 in Virgina and died on the 4th of July 1826 which coincidentally was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  He was 83 when he died.  He was a lawyer and scientific farmer.  He was the Minister to France and George Washington’s Secretary of State.  Highlights during his term as President included purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France for USD15 million, making the importation of African slaves to the USA illegal and commissioning the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The expedition comprised a selected group of U.S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark. Their perilous journey lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. The primary objective was to explore and to map the newly acquired territory of what is now known as the western part of the USA, to find a practical route across this half of the continent, and to establish an American presence in this territory before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it.

“Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, feel such relief as I shall on shaking off the shackles of power.  Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight.  But the enormities of the times in which I have lived, have forced me to take a part in resisting them, and to commit myself on the boisterous ocean of political passions.” – letter to P. S. DuPont de Nemours, March 2, 1809, two days before leaving office

Gutzon Borgum, the Sculptor said…

“In the portraits and data we have of him… We see the young man, the torch bearer, the artist, the architect, the musician and builder, the creator in all his varied moods. I am sorry I have only one portrait to make of him.”

Abraham Lincoln – 16th President – 1861 to 1865

Abraham Lincoln was born on the 12th February 1809 in a log cabin in Kentucky and died on the 15th April 1865 aged 56 in Washington, DC after having been shot at Ford’s Theatre the night before. He was a lawyer and was elected to the Illinois State Legislature in 1834 and a Member of the US House of Representatives between 1847 and 1849.  The Civil War began and ended during his time in office.

“We are not enemies, but friends.  We must not be enemies.  Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.  The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” – First Inagural Address – March 4, 1861

Gutzon Borgum, the Sculptor said…

‘He was more deeply rooted in the home principles that are keeping us together than any man who was ever asked to make his heart-beat national.”

“He is at once the heart and soul of Mount Rushmore.”

Theodore Roosevelt – 26th President – 1901 to 1909

Theodore Roosevelt was born on the 27th October 1858 in New York and died on the 6th January 1919 in New York aged 60.  He was an author, a lawyer and a public official.  His career highlights included being the Governor of New York and being the Commander of the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War.  He was William McKinley’s Vice President and became the youngest President at 42 when William McKinley was assassinated.  Highlights when he was in office include being the first President to travel outside the US, he worked to bring big business under regulation and the construction of the Panama Canal began.

“Perhaps the two most striking things in the presidency are the immense power of the President, in the first place; and in the second place, the fact that as soon as he has ceased being President he goes right back into the body of the people and becomes just like any other American citizen.” – written in early 1900’s and published in The Youth’s Companion, November 6, 1902

Gutzon Borgum, the Sculptor said…

“Roosevelt seems fairly to have leaped with life.  He kidnapped energy and carried it into the Nation’s home… He remains undrawn, none will engrave him.  His spirit is still at large, uncaptured by artist or sculptor.”

The last model made by the sculptor in 1938. The scale was One Inch = One Foot

Lincoln Mask – plaster masks of each of the presidents represented on Mount Rushmore were made by the sculptor.  These masks were hung from cables on the mountain and were used by workers for visual comparisons and measurement.

Next stop on our trip south through the Black Hills was Crazy Horse.  I must admit we didn’t really know much about the story behind the Crazy Horse sculpture before we arrived.  Just as we walked into the Visitors Centre they announced that the orientation film was about to start so we went and took a seat in the theatre.

We were both quite blown away by the story behind the Sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski and his family.  They have made it their lifelong mission to protect and preserve the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians.

Born in Boston, of Polish descent, Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski (1908 – 1982) grew up in foster homes. After gaining recognition at the 1939 World’s Fair, Korczak received a letter from Lakota Cheif Henry Standing Bear, to come to the Black Hills of South Dakota and carve a mountain. The letter stated, “[m]y fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes also.”

After some study and many letters back and forth, Korczak accepted the invitation and work began in 1948 with only $174.
Crazy Horse was the chosen subject for the project. Korczak wrote “Crazy Horse has never been known to have signed a treaty or touched the pen. Crazy Horse, as far as the scale model is concerned, is to be carved not so much as a lineal likeness, but more as a memorial to the spirit of Crazy Horse – to his people. With his left hand, it stretched in answer to the derisive question asked by a white man. “Where are your lands now?” He replied “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”

Korczak’s wife Ruth (Ross) Ziolkowski (1926 – 2014) followed Korczak to the Black Hills from West Hartford, Connecticut to volunteer her assistance with the project. They were married Thanksgiving Day, 1950 and had ten children and the Memorial became a family undertaking as well as a humanitarian and educational public charity.

The boys grew up helping their father on the mountain, the girls assisting their mother in the ever expanding visitor complex. Everyone helped with the dairy farm, the lumber mill and the multitude of other year-around activities at Crazy Horse, where, since 1947, the construction has never stopped.

As they reached adulthood, the Ziolkowski sons and daughters demonstrated that Korczak and Ruth imparted to their family not only knowledge and skill, but also a deep love of the Crazy Horse dream. All were free to leave, but seven remained involved in the project. 

Realising this project would span generations, Korczak and Ruth created plans to ensure the future of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.

When Korczak passed away, Ruth took over leadership. Among many feats, she shifted focus to finish Crazy Horse’s Face, enabling visitors to see the profile from the Visitor Centre. Ruth passed away in May 2014.
Today, many Ziolkowski family members, dedicated staff and Board of Directors carry on the dream of the Memorial’s Founders – Cheif Henry Dtanding Bear, Korczak and Ruth Ziolkowski at Crazy Horse Memorial.

The mission of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is to protect and preserve the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. The Foundation demonstrates its commitment to this endeavour by continuing the progress of the world’s largest sculptural understating by carving a memorial of Lakota Leader Crazy Horse; by providing educational and cultural programming; by acting as a repository for American Indian artefacts, arts and crafts through the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Educational and Cultural Centre and by establishing and operating the University of North America and when practical, a medical training centre for American Indians.

In the words of Korczak Ziolkowski “Never forget your Dreams.”

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse was born as a member of the Teton Sioux tribe on Rapid Creek about 40 miles northeast of Thunderhead Mt. in the year 1843(?). He was killed at Fort Robinson by an American Indian soldier around midnight on September 5, 1877 while under a flag of truce – age 34.

Not much is known of the very early years of Crazy Horse. He would have grown up with the traditional ways of the Lakota. As a very young child he would have learned things like recognizing animals & what types of plants were edible. He would have lain in the tall grass of the prairie listening to and attuning his senses to nature, hoop toss, whipping toss game and whirling bone games with his friends. He would have been taught the ways of his people from multiple sources: his father, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, grandfathers and any other member of the tribe. Learning happened every day and was always something that prepared the young man for his future life as a warrior for the tribe. A boy of 4 or 5 would have already mastered the use of tomahawks, bows and horseback riding.

As with tradition Crazy Horse was not originally named Crazy Horse. He happened to start out in this world as “Curly”, aptly named this because he had wavy hair. He would be called Curly until he earned his father’s name, Tasunka Witco (Crazy Horse), by proving himself in battle. Contemporaries of Crazy Horse described him as fairer skinned than the “typical” Native American of the time, with lighter wavy hair than most. They also described his character as introspective, Crazy Horse always thought before speaking.

Crazy Horse lost his mother at age 4. Raised by his father and step mothers he was again faced with great tragedy at the young age of 12 where he witnessed an attack by Lieutenant J.L. Grattan on a Brule-Oglala encampment. The altercation seems to have started as a misunderstanding while Conquering Bear negotiated with Grattan over a stolen cow from a passing homesteader. No one knows who fired the first shots but this attack on the Lakota people provided the fuel needed to create a flame of war that lasted for over 23 years.

Once Crazy Horse was old enough he would have set out on one of the most important rites of passage to a Lakota warrior…the Vision Quest (Hanblecheya – which is defined as “crying for a visions “or “to pray for a spiritual experience”). This rite of passage would have given Crazy Horse guidance on his path in life. He would have gone alone into the hills for four days without food or water and cried for a dream to the great spirits.

“Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but the spirits of things. That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that world…. It was this vision that gave him his great power, for when he went into a fight, he had only to think of that world to be in it again, so that he could go through anything and not be hurt.” – Black Elk

By the time Crazy Horse was in his mid-teens he was already a full-fledged warrior. His bravery and prowess in battle were well-known by the Lakota people. He rode into battle with a single eagle feather in his hair, a rock behind his ear, his body painted with white hail balls and a lightning symbol on his face. The symbols and rituals that went into preparing for war was meant to allow the warrior to draw power and protect themselves from harm during battle.

In 1876 Crazy Horse led a band of Lakota warriors against Custer’s Seventh U.S. Cavalry battalion. They called this the Battle of the Little Big Horn or Custer’s Last Stand. Custer, 9 officers and 280 enlisted men all lay dead after the fighting was over. According to tribes who participated in the battle 32 Indians were killed. Although Crazy Horse is often given credit for killing General George A. Custer, there is no proof that he was the one who took Custer’s last breath. It is known that without Crazy Horse and his followers the battle’s outcome would have been much different as he was integral in stopping reinforcements from arriving.

It was after the Battle of the Little Big Horn that the United States Government would send scouts to round up any Northern Plains tribes who resisted. This forced many Indian Nations to move across the country always followed by soldiers until starvation or exposure would force them to surrender. This is how Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces & Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota were forced into submission.

In 1877, under a flag of truce, Crazy Horse went to Fort Robinson. Negotiations with the U.S. Military leaders stationed at the fort broke down. Eye witnesses blame the breakdown in negotiations on the translator who incorrectly translated what Crazy Horse said. Crazy Horse was quickly escorted toward the jail. Once he realized that the commanding officers were planning on imprisoning him, he struggled and drew his knife. Little Big Man, friend and fellow warrior of Crazy Horse, tried to restrain him. As Crazy Horse continued to free himself, an Indian infantry guard made a successful lunge with a bayonet and mortally wounded the great warrior. Crazy Horse died shortly after the mortal wound was inflicted. There are different accounts putting the date of his death at either September 5, 1877 or September 6, 1877.

It is a well-known fact that Crazy Horse refused to have his picture or likeness taken. Crazy Horse lived under the assumption that by taking a picture you were taking a part of his soul and would shorten his life. The popular response to photograph requests would be, “Would you imprison my shadow too?”. The likeness that Korczak created for Crazy Horse Memorial was developed by descriptions from survivors of the Battle of the Little Big Horn and other contemporaries of Crazy Horse the man. Korczak, decided to create a monument that captured what Crazy Horse stood for instead of a true likeness based on the descriptions provided to honor the great warrior chief’s wishes. With his left hand thrown out pointing in answer to the derisive question asked by a Cavalry man, “Where are your lands now?” he replied, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”

Why was Crazy Horse was chosen by the Native Americans?

Crazy Horse was born on Rapid Creek in 1843. He was killed when he was only 34 years of age, around midnight the morning of September 6, 1877. He was stabbed in the back by an American Indian soldier at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, while he was under a flag of truce. During his life he was a great leader to his people. He did not have an equal as a warrior or chief. He gave submissive allegiance to no man, White or Indian, and claimed his inalienable rights as an Indian to wander at will over the hunting grounds of his people. He never registered at any agency; never touched the pen; never signed a treaty. He wanted only peace and a way of living for his people without having to live in the whiteman’s reservations.

Crazy Horse defended his people and their way of life in the only manner he knew, but only after he saw the treaty of 1868 broken. This treaty, signed by the President of the United States said “As long as the rivers run and the grasses grow and trees bear leaves, Paha Sapa, the Black Hills, will forever and ever be the sacred land of the Indians.” He took to the warpath only after he saw his friend Conquering Bear killed; only after he saw the failure of the government agents to bring required treaty guarantees such as meat, clothing, tents and necessities for existence. In battle the Sioux leader would rally his warriors with the cry, “It is a good day to fight-it is a good day to die.”

In 1877 Crazy Horse’s wife, staying at Fort Robinson, was dying of tuberculosis. His only child, a daughter, had recently died of this same disease. Under a guarantee of safe conduct both into and out of the Fort, Crazy Horse agreed to confer with the Commanding Officers. History has proven since that the intention never was to let Crazy Horse go free, but rather to ship him to the Dry Tortugas in Florida. The chief had no notion of what was in store for him until he entered the building and saw the bars on the windows. Right then he was face to face with the fate the whiteman had intended for him. He drew a knife (the fact that he had not been disarmed is good proof that he never surrendered) and attempted to get his Indian friends outside of the stockade. Little Big Man, friend and warrior companion of Crazy Horse, hoping to avoid trouble, seized Crazy Horse’s arms. In struggling to free himself, Crazy Horse slashed Little Big Man’s wrist. At this point an infantry man of the guard made a successful lunge with a bayonet and Crazy Horse fell, mortally wounded.

In the minds of the Indians today, the life and death of Crazy Horse parallels the tragic history of the redman since the whiteman invaded their homes and lands. One of the many great and patriotic Indian heroes, Crazy Horse’s tenacity of purpose, his modest life, his unfailing courage, his tragic death sets him apart and above all others.” – Korczak Ziolkowski, Sc. May, 1949

The model on which the Crazy Horse sculpture is based on – this is what it will look like when it is finished 

The guys from the wine bar recommended we play golf at Red Rock in Rapid City which is about 45 minutes from Deadwood where we were now staying. Apart from Spearfish Canyon Country Club there are only a few 9 hole courses in the Spearfish / Deadwood area so we thought why not.

Steve called and booked us in and the guy on the other end of the phone also a Steve said it would be USD75 each including a cart. When we arrived on the Monday morning for our tee time, Steve from the golf club remembered Steve’s phone call and said they actually had a special on – USD69 for both of us including a cart – bargain!

The course is set in a fairly new subdivision with some nice houses. It was very up and down with some great elevated tees. Steve from the golf shop had warned us that there can be rattle snakes in the long rough – great! I must say I felt a bit nervous – not a normal feeling for me. Steve said to me “if our balls go into the long rough we’ll just drop another one – it’s not worth dying over a $3 golf ball.” I was more than happy with that plan but it seems Steve really is a tight arse accountant – on the second hole he is in the long rough looking for his ball! Trust me, he was on his own!

I’m happy to report we didn’t come across anything untoward apart from a deer and her fawn who were sheltering in the shade just off the path after the 18th. They were quite happy to pose for photographs.

We were convinced , however, that all the elephants had escaped from the zoo and had been buried in the greens. They were very tricky with many ups and downs. It would be fair to say we both had the worst putting stats of the trip. I had a four foot birdie putt on the par five 9th and ended up taking an 8. I was not a happy camper.

We ended up bumping into the guys from the wine bar in the clubhouse so joined them for lunch. They had already played 18 holes somewhere else and we’re going out to play 18 at Red Rock.

After golf we went into Rapid City to check it out. Because they are quite close to Mt Rushmore where the four great ex US Presidents are carved in stone they have a Presidential theme in the downtown area with a bronze statue of a past President on each corner. They also had a Presidential Pawn shop – yes that is Pawn and not Porn – ironically Bill Clinton’s statue was outside this store!

We went in to have a look around and were amazed at the amount of guns they had for sale – this is just so foreign to us. It is really interesting chatting to the locals about the gun laws though. The majority are in favour of everyone carrying a gun and say there would be an uprising if the Government tried to take them away. The guy in the Pawn shop let Steve hold a few guns. His theory on the gun laws is that there is more crime and gun related deaths in the states that have strict gun laws. The gun laws in South Dakota are fairly relaxed and most people carry a gun. Apparently there is minimal crime as the good guys with guns outnumber the bad guys with guns. Interesting.

Rapid City is named after Rapid Creek, on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census.  Known as the “Gateway to the Black Hills” and the “City of Presidents”, it is split by a low mountain ridge that divides the western and eastern parts of the city. Ellsworth Air Force Base is located on the outskirts of the city. Camp Rapid, a part of the United States Army National Guard, is located in the western part of the city.  In the neighboring Black Hills are the popular tourist attractions of Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave National Park.

There are 42 life sized bronze statues of all the US Presidents with the exception of the current one but he will be coming to a corner in Rapid City very soon : ). The City of Presidents project began in 2000 to honor the legacy of the American presidency. Each of the sculptures is privately funded, and the pattern of placement was chosen to maintain a coherent structure and eliminate any sense of favoritism or political gain.

Gerald Ford – 38th President

James Monroe – 5th President

George Washington – 1st President
Jimmy Carter – 39th President
Bill Clinton – 42nd President

After that bit of enlightenment we headed back to Deadwood where we are staying. Deadwood is a real Wild West town with lots of gambling and bars. The night before on our walk we had seen this shop with some great Harley Davidson paintings so wanted to go and check it out.

We got talking to the artist, Scott Jacobs who it turns out is the official artist for Harley Davidson and has been for the past 23 years. He has also started doing some wine scene paintings which were also great. His art was amazing and I am not so into motorbikes. He is based in San Diego but has just opened up this shop given the interest in the area due to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle rally.

Some of his art is also on t-shirts etc… His art is sold on 105 cruise ships that sail all over the world so he has been to NZ a couple of times on one of these cruise ships. He was off to Iceland on Friday on a cruise ship to promote his art. Some of the paintings looked like photos – they were that vibrant. He also collects and restores old Harley Davidson’s and had a few displayed in the shop. One of them was a 1926 Harley that he had raced across the USA twice. Such an interesting guy.

Check out http://www.scottjacobsstudio.com

That evening we went to Legends Steakhouse for dinner – this had again come highly recommended by our wine bar friends. You can’t book but we had got ourselves on a priority seating list the evening before. We turned up and they said there was a 45 to 60 minute wait – I said we were on the priority seating list. She found our name and the next minute a waitress was taking us to a table – the system works! It was really nice to have a steak that resembled what we are used to eating at home, washed down with a red Zinfandel – perfect.

Deadwood is named after the dead trees found in its gulch.  A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley caused by erosion.  The population was 1,270 according to the 2010 census. 

The settlement of Deadwood began illegally in the 1870s on land which had been granted to American Indians in the 1868 Treaty of Laramie. The treaty had guaranteed ownership of the Black Hills to the Lakota people and land disputes were endemic, having reached the United States Supreme Court on several occasions. However, in 1874, Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills and announced the discovery of gold on French Creek near present-day Custer, South Dakota. This announcement triggered the Black Hills Gold Rush and gave rise to the new and lawless town of Deadwood, which quickly reached a population of around 5,000.

Noted people who were born, lived, or have resided in Deadwood include Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok.  The towns Tagline is ‘Where Western Legends were Born’. Three times a day in the summer they close the Main Street and do a mock shootout – unfortunately we didn’t get to witness this but did see some of the characters who are part of the reenactment – OMG you would seriously think they have just stepped out of the 18th century regardless of whether they were dressed up or not : 0

I also didn’t manage to capture any images of the Main Street so have borrowed some of these off the internet… 

What Deadwood would look like in the winter