Thomas Daschle: “this Saturday, May 3, marks the 50th anniversary of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski's arrival in the Black Hills to accept…”

“this Saturday, May 3, marks the 50th anniversary of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski's arrival in the Black Hills to accept the invitation of the Lakota to create a memorial to honor the great warrior and chieftain, Crazy Horse. Carving this great monument in the mountain became his life's work, and indeed, the life's work of generations of his family. He was joined at Thunderhead Mountain by Ruth Ross on June 21, 1947, who is now a dear friend of mine. The two married 3 years later, and together they made a life raising their 10 children and slowly shaping the mountain into the form of Crazy Horse, sitting atop his steed with his arm outstretched toward the homelands of the Lakota. Its scale is difficult to comprehend. His face alone is so large that all four faces carved on Mount Rushmore could fit on its expanse. When it is finished, the sculpture will be taller than both the Washington Monument and the Great Pyramids. These figures are made all the more remarkable by the fact that all of the work at the memorial is privately financed, with no support from Government funds. Although Korczak died in 1982, Ruth and the children have proudly carried on with this vision. No less remarkable is the extraordinary effort made by the Ziolkowski family to educate thousands about the lives of Crazy Horse and the Lakota people, and to improve the lives of Native Americans around the country.”