The highly complex steps in the mountain carving process at
Crazy Horse can be summed up in relatively simple terms. We are
making a very large duplicate of Korczak’s sculpture to tell the
story of North American Indian cultures. That artwork depicts
the Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, seated on his horse and
pointing over the horse’s head as he says, “My lands are where
my dead lie buried.” In order to convey that powerful story on a
monumental scale on the mountain we follow three basic steps: 1)
measure Korczak’s model; 2) measure the mountain; 3) remove all
the rock that doesn’t fit! In reality each of these steps gets
quite complex and requires the use of powerful tools and
techniques, but the guiding principles remain quite simple. The
members of the Crazy Horse mountain crew are experts in
precision blasting, equipment operation and engineering. They
maintain a strong emphasis on safety in all steps of the
operation and are proud to have an outstanding safety record.
Here’s a little closer look at each of