Mount Rushmore/Crazy Horse/Deadwood South Dakota

19 June 2018

Yay!! I got to see the Presidents at Mount Rushmore!!

After 5 attempts over 3 days I had almost thought that I would miss out on this great wonder of the world. It was truly worth the wait. When I woke this morning the sun was shining. I couldn’t get out of the hotel fast enough praying that the fog wouldn’t roll back in. I was stuck in the entrance traffic and got this shot hoping that it wasn’t going to be my only one as the fog did come rolling in.

And then it cleared to the gorgeous picture at the beginning!! Another off my bucket list. This is truly a magnificent piece of art. 400 people worked on this sculpture financed by the Government, and not one person died on this dangerous project.

Then I went on to the Crazy Horse Memorial. The man who started this project, Korczak Ziolkowski, a sculptor, known as the storyteller in stone, was approached by Henry Running Bear to build a memorial “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes also”.

Korczak and his wife, Ruth, with their 10 children worked together and many of their 23 grandchildren still work on this project.

This project is funded totally by donations and tourists with the Foundation rejecting any government funding. Still has a long way to go.

Next stop was Deadwood South Dakota, famous for Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane.

The Saloon 10 where Wild Bill’s poker hand of a pair of 8s and Aces became known as “deadman’s hand” after he was murdered holding these cards.

Calamity Jane’s grave is next to Wild Bill’s as he had wanted.