where dreams come true
Four miles north of Custer on Highway 16 / 385, Crazy Horse Memorial ® is in existence to honor all Indigenous people of North America. American Indian history and cultures are shared through museums, cultural programs, and the world’ s largest Mountain Carving in progress.
The Crazy Horse Memorial ® dream began in 1939 when Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear asked sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create a memorial to pay tribute to American Indians and the world would know“ the red man has great heroes, also.” Standing Bear and others carefully choose Lakota warrior Crazy Horse to be the subject of the Mountain Sculpture.
On June 3--, 1948, the first blast took place on the Mountain with five survivors of the Battle of Little Bighorn among the spectators. Korczak and Henry Standing Bear decided the Carving would be the centerpiece of the Memorial’ s educational and humanitarian goals. Furthermore, Ziolkowski declared that it would be a project“ for the people and by the people,” turning down large amounts of government funding offers. Still today, the Memorial operates solely on donations and charitable contributions from visitors and those who believe in the project.
10 Custer Area Chamber of Commerce Directory 2026