Crazy Horse memorial -- no government funding accepted

[KBCraig]

If you've never seen this, you should take a look at their website on the bottom. It's sculpture on an unreal scale.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20060821/ap_tr_ge/travel_briefs_crazy_horse


Crazy Horse Memorial fund drive to begin

Mon Aug 21, 1:54 PM ET

Crazy Horse Memorial will start its first national fund drive this fall.

The sculpture was started by the late Korczak Ziolkowski, who dreamed of honoring American Indians by carving a 563-foot-high likeness of Sioux warrior Crazy Horse into a granite mountain in the southern Black Hills.

The work began 1948. Ziolkowski died in 1982.

His widow, Ruth Ziolkowski, and their family have continued the work.

The sculpture now brings in millions of dollars every year, mainly through admission fees, and the family has held to Korczak's admonition to refuse government help to complete the project and instead rely on private enterprise.

Visitor numbers have grown to more than 1 million annually, the face of Crazy Horse is complete and the complex of buildings at the carving's base now includes a museum, education center and restaurant.

The goal of the national fund drive is to work toward the mountain carving's completion and expand cultural and educational programs at the memorial.

Crazy Horse plans to announce the fund drive Oct. 7, said Fred Tully, development director. The goal is to raise $16.5 million over the first three to five years and then another $10 million, he said.

The first project is a $1.4 million dormitory that will house 40 American Indian students who will work at the memorial.

The second phase will fund a hall that will recognize Indian heroes from the past and present, including an astronaut, soldiers, athletes and people from science and medicine.

For more information, visit http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org.

[Follow]

I've seen this, it's supposed to be amazingly huge...  Dwarfing Mt. Rushmore.

But when I looked at the pictures, it looked to be on par or smaller than Rushmore.  Are they going to make the whole body and horse?  Or is it just his face?  I can't seem to find plans for a "complete" project on the site anywhere.




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[Fluff and Stuff]

The idea is the make the whole thing but that will take 100 years unless they get a lot of money.  Of course, they let Army folks in for free, or did when I went there.   Well, so does mount Rushmore, but it is a government funded park so it is not free. 

[KBCraig]

I've seen this, it's supposed to be amazingly huge...  Dwarfing Mt. Rushmore.

But when I looked at the pictures, it looked to be on par or smaller than Rushmore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Horse_Memorial

"The sculpture's final dimensions will be 641 feet (195 m) wide and 563 feet (172 m) high. By comparison, the heads of Mt. Rushmore are 60 feet (18 m) high; the head of Crazy Horse will be 87 feet (27 m) high."

[Michael Fisher]

I saw this a couple of days ago. They charged me $20 to get in which raised an eyebrow. Then they mentioned that they have refused all $20,000,000 in federal government (stolen) funds that have been offered to date. There's a museum with countless Indian artifacts -- all donated. The Founder believed so strongly in the free market that he refused to allow the government to ever help in any way. His family holds strictly to that policy to this very day.

The monument is many, many times larger than Mount Rushmore, which I also saw that day. All of Mount Rushmore would fit within the head area of Crazy Horse.

We could start a similar project in New Hampshire to rebuild the Old Man of the Mountain entirely with private funding. First, we would need to get in touch with the family of the man who started Crazy Horse and see if they're willing to consult with us. Forgive the pun, but THAT would be an enormous task with a vast effect, and it would require many years to complete.

[Michael Fisher]

I was there during the 66th Sturgis.

[Atlas]

Interesting that they didn't accept any gov funding. I visited this thing about ten years ago and even back then it was truly something to behold. Why don't they ask some of their brothers in the casinos to chip in?

[Fluff and Stuff]

I saw this a couple of days ago. They charged me $20 to get in which raised an eyebrow. Then they mentioned that they have refused all $20,000,000 in federal government (stolen) funds that have been offered to date. There's a museum with countless Indian artifacts -- all donated. The Founder believed so strongly in the free market that he refused to allow the government to ever help in any way. His family holds strictly to that policy to this very day.

When I was there, they charged around $7 for folks like you.  Then they had a seperate fee for those that wanted to take the bus ride to see it up close. They may have also increased the fees because you were there during Sturgis, which makes sense.

[KBCraig]

Their website says admission is $10, or $25 per car load, whichever is cheaper.

They may have special "Sturgis rates" (like everywhere else in SD does), because the sheer volume of visitors puts a strain on their resources. Hey -- let the free market prevail! 

Kevin

[Follow]

That's awesome!  I want to go take a look at this thing, not because I'm a big fan of Crazy Horse, but because I'm a fan of the free market.  Besides, it's a huge "up yours" to all the socialists out there who claim these things can't be done with private monies alone.




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[tracysaboe]

I so dugg this.
http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Crazy_Horse_Memorial_will_start_its_first_national_fund_drive_this_fall

Mnt Rushmore on the otherhand recieved a lot of government money. But this I can respect. Things increase in price a lot on the west side of South Dakota during Sturgeous week. But if you live their, and know how to handle it, you can make a lot of money by opening up your house and things. Just immagine how expensive regular motels and things would be that time of year if that sort of ad hoc volentarianism wasn't allowed! 

Tracy

[Michael Fisher]

I so dugg this.
http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Crazy_Horse_Memorial_will_start_its_first_national_fund_drive_this_fall

Mnt Rushmore on the otherhand recieved a lot of government money. But this I can respect. Things increase in price a lot on the west side of South Dakota during Sturgeous week. But if you live their, and know how to handle it, you can make a lot of money by opening up your house and things. Just immagine how expensive regular motels and things would be that time of year if that sort of ad hoc volentarianism wasn't allowed! 

Tracy

Crazy Horse's Founder also refused to allow the government to help because he believed the government would screw it up like they did with Mount Rushmore, which was much smaller and was still never completed.

I think he's right.