Unveiling the face of Crazy Horse

Summary

Witness History – "Unveiling the Face of Crazy Horse"

Podcast: Witness History
Host: Jen Dale
Date: July 22, 2026
Duration: ~9 minutes

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Episode Overview

In this powerful episode, Jen Dale uncovers the story behind the creation and unveiling of the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota—a monumental mountain carving honoring the legendary Lakota warrior. Through insightful interviews and archival audio, the episode explores the dedication, family legacy, triumphs, and controversies surrounding what may become the world’s largest mountain sculpture.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Genesis of the Memorial

• Setting the Stage (00:41–01:19):

  • The Black Hills of South Dakota, sacred to the Lakota, become the focus for an ambitious, multi-generational carving project led by the Ziolkowski family.
  • The sculpture aims to commemorate Crazy Horse, renowned for his resistance against US encroachment and his role in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn.

• Korczak Ziolkowski’s Invitation (01:19–02:04):

  • Polish-born sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski recounts receiving a request from Chief Henry Standing Bear:

    “Would I come out here and carve out of a mountain a portrait of that great chief who had been killed many years ago?”
    — Korczak Ziolkowski (01:41)

  • Standing Bear hoped the world would recognize Native heroes:

    “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man had great heroes too.”
    — Korczak Ziolkowski (02:04)

Family Commitment and Early Challenges

• Family Dedication (03:19–03:38):

  • Korczak’s single-minded focus is revealed:

    “Before my lovely wife and I got married, I took her by the hand. I said, you see that mountain? She said, yes. I said, never forget. It comes first, you come second. Now the children know that… they come third. That’s a common understanding in our house.”
    — Korczak Ziolkowski

  • Monique Ziolkowski, one of his ten children, later recalls:

    “Just coming third—that didn’t even matter to us because dad and mother both loved us.”
    — Monique Ziolkowski (03:38)

• Hands-On Involvement (04:10–04:30):

  • Monique starts working at age 16, learning how to operate a jackhammer and use explosives:

    “I ran a jackhammer and learned how to work with explosives... You fill a hole with dynamite and put stemming on the top and then you blast it.”
    — Monique Ziolkowski

• Korczak’s Artistic Vision (04:43):

  • He marked out the design using 176 gallons of paint and created a scale model for reference:

    “Dad had a wonderful sense of proportion, so he could look at something and know where things need to be.”
    — Monique Ziolkowski (04:43)

Legacy and Perseverance

• Korczak’s Death and His Words (05:09):
  • After Korczak’s death in 1982, his children continue; he leaves them a guiding letter:

    “But once you take up the burden, do not lay it down. You will find in the darkest hours a feeling of great strength, of great satisfaction, of great joy and happiness in even carrying out the mundane task for something far greater than yourselves.”
    — Korczak Ziolkowski, as read by Monique (05:09)

Technical and Artistic Feats

• Shifting Focus: The Face (05:39–06:43):

  • Monique’s mother decides to prioritize carving the face due to its relative complexity.
  • Scale and technical details: Crazy Horse’s face is 87.5 feet high; the horse’s head, 219 feet.
  • Process involved massive amounts of granite removal—each eye alone required the removal of nearly 7 tons.

    “The eyes alone are 4 foot by 8 foot, and each eye sees the removal of nearly 7 tons of granite.”
    — Jen Dale (06:00)

• The Unveiling (06:43–07:37):

  • On June 3, 1998, the face is finally revealed after being draped in a massive nylon cover.

    “That was a funny day because it was very cold and snowy and freezing out... We had to physically go up there and cut, cut the rope so the covering would drop off the face.”
    — Monique Ziolkowski (07:06)

  • Several hundred, including Lakota members, attended:

    “They were pleased. They were proud.”
    — Monique Ziolkowski (07:34)

Controversy and Cultural Debate

• Dissent Within the Lakota Community (07:44–08:04):

  • Some descendants, such as Elaine Quiver, objected:

    “We didn’t give permission for someone to carve the sacred Black Hills. It’s a desecration of our Indian culture.”
    — Elaine Quiver, via Monique/Korczak (07:55–08:00)

• Support and Purpose (08:10–08:47):

  • Other Lakota voices support the project for its educational value:

    “I’m really fortunate that the monument here gives us Natives an opportunity to educate the general public about our culture and about proper respect… And it’s not for money. It’s for the project and the telling of the story of the Native people.”
    — Lakota tribe member via Monique Ziolkowski (08:10)

  • Monique adds:

    “We can’t make everybody happy. We know that what we’re doing, our hearts are in it. And it’s not for money. It’s for the project and the telling of the story of the Native people… But we know what we’re doing is correct.”
    — Monique Ziolkowski (08:10–08:47)

Looking Forward – Humble Progress

• Continuing the Work (08:56–09:04):
  • Work now focuses on the horse’s mane and arm, but humility tempers pride:

    “I don’t have a lot of [pride]… you need to be humble and just know what you’re doing matters.”
    — Monique Ziolkowski

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Korczak Ziolkowski on Sacrifice:

  “Never forget. It comes first, you come second. Now the children know that... they come third. That’s a common understanding in our house.” (03:19)

• Monique Ziolkowski on Family Involvement:

  “I ran a jackhammer and learned how to work with explosives.” (04:10)

• Korczak’s Posthumous Letter:

  “Do not lay it down... You will find in the darkest hours a feeling of great strength...” (05:09)

• Controversy from Elaine Quiver (descendant):

  “We didn’t give permission for someone to carve the sacred Black Hills. It’s a desecration of our Indian culture.” (07:55–08:00)

• Lakota Tribe Member on the Memorial’s Purpose:

  “The monument here gives us Natives an opportunity to educate the general public about our culture and about proper respect…” (08:10)

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Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:37 – Introduction to the Crazy Horse Memorial and its setting
• 01:41 – Korczak Ziolkowski receives letter from Chief Henry Standing Bear
• 03:19 – Family priorities and dedication to the project
• 04:10 – Monique’s early involvement and learning explosives work
• 05:09 – Korczak’s posthumous letter to his children
• 06:00 – Carving the face and monumental scale
• 06:43 – The 1998 unveiling ceremony
• 07:44 – Controversy and arguments against the project
• 08:10 – Positive voices and the memorial's educational impact
• 08:56 – Ongoing work and Monique’s humility

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Tone and Language

Throughout, the tone is reverent yet practical, blending awe for the scale of the undertaking with respect for cultural complexities. Emotion shines through family reminiscences and interviews, while controversy is addressed with honesty and balance, using direct quotes from those involved.

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Summary

This episode of Witness History compellingly narrates the ongoing story of the Crazy Horse Memorial: an artistic feat, a multigenerational family endeavor, and a lightning rod for deeper conversations about history, heritage, and respect. Through personal accounts and archive audio, listeners witness both the monumental achievements and unresolved questions that come with honoring the past in stone.

Transcript

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

Foreign.

[Jen Dale]

Hello and welcome to Witness History. I'm Jen Dale and this is the podcast that looks back at a key moment in history that's helped to shape our world. Episodes come out every weekday and are just nine minutes long. Make sure you never miss an episode by hitting subscribe and turning on your push notifications. I'm taking you back to the 1990s and the unveiling of phase one of a sculpture of a Native American warrior with which, when completed, will be the largest mountain carving in the world. This program contains outdated language.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

On a rugged cliff of granite in South Dakota, stonemasons risk life and limb to create something unique.

[Jen Dale]

Here, crews are carving the history of the Ogalla Lakota and their fearless warrior, Crazy Horse.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

It's only recently that crazy horse's huge 90 foot face is complete. I just felt it was a beautiful day. We got something done.

[Jen Dale]

Monique Ziolkowski's family are behind this monumental effort in stone. We're in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the western United States and it all started with Monique's father, Korczak Ziolkowski, a Polish born sculptor with a moustache, then later a bushy beard. He was often seen wearing a Stetson. He worked on the Mount Rushmore memorial in 1939, helping carve the faces of four US presidents into rock. Then one day Korczak received a letter from a Lakota chief. As he told 60 Minutes on CBS in 1977, Henry Standing bear asked me

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

would I come out here and carve out of a mountain a portrait of that great chief who had been killed many years ago.

[Jen Dale]

Now here's a quick rundown on why Crazy Horse is so important. He fought against the US Government over ownership of the Black Hills and helped defeat the US army in 1876 at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand.

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

He said, my fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man had great heroes too. What an honor.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

He believed in the story of the Native Americans and all the Native Americans of North America. And he believed in the purpose of Crazy Horse.

[Jen Dale]

Monique's father believed in it so much that he began work on it in 1948 and dedicated the rest of his life to the carving. The Black Hills are covered in forests of green ponderosa pine. The air smells sweet like vanilla or butterscotch. You can hear the clip clop of the hooves of white mountain goats as they pick their way across the rocky ground. And towering above is grey and beige coloured granite. Thunderhead Mountain. It's Here the work started to carve a likeness of Crazy Horse, his long hair flowing behind him, riding a horse pointing towards his people's sacred lands. It's reported that when finished, It'll be nearly 10 times the size of Mount Rushmore. Monique was one of 10 children and knew from an early age the mountain top priority. Korczak said so himself in that 60 minute documentary.

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

Before my lovely wife and I got married, I took her by the hand. I said, you see that mountain? She said, yes. I said, never forget. It comes first, you come second. Now the children know that they know they come third. That's a common understanding in our house.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

Just coming third. That didn't even matter to us because dad and mother both loved us.

[Jen Dale]

And in your early years, it must have been so strange. Did you think that every family car mounted like this is quite a normal, regular thing to do?

[Monique Ziolkowski]

I really did think that.

[Jen Dale]

All the children get involved with the mountain carving in one way or another. Monique begins when she's 16, getting up around dawn to do chores and help milk cattle. Before going to the mountain around 7 in the morning, she takes an active hand in the drilling.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

I ran a jackhammer and learned how to work with explosives. I had older brothers and dad would always make sure they helped me because the jackhammer probably weighed almost as much as me. You fill a hole with dynamite and put stemming on the top and then you blast it.

[Jen Dale]

Fire and all. Fire knees. Monique's father had painted the outline on the rocks with 176 gallons of paint, done a scale model to help with measurements.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

Dad had a wonderful sense of proportion, so he could look at something and know where things need to be.

[Jen Dale]

After working on the mountain for 36 years, Korczak Siolkovsky died in 1982. He left Monique and her siblings a letter to read after his death that reinforced Monique's desire to dedicate her life to the project too.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

But once you take up the burden, do not lay it down. You will find in the darkest hours a feeling of great strength, of great satisfaction, of great joy and happiness in even carrying out the mundane task for something far greater than yourselves.

[Jen Dale]

But despite decades of work, there still weren't any discernible features to see. In 1988, Monique's mom decided the team should shift their efforts.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

Well, Mother's a very wise woman, and it was going to be easier to carve Crazy Oars Face than the horse's head. Crazy oars face is 87 and a half feet tall and the horse's head is 219ft. She thought about it for three years when she changed the focus.

[Jen Dale]

By July 1994, the eyes and nose have taken shape. But it's painstaking work. The eyes alone are 4 foot by 8 foot, and each eye sees the removal of nearly 7 tons of granite. Monique is involved in taking measurements from the scale model and making sure they're transferred accurately to the mountain. She often finds herself on scaffolding hundreds of feet high in the air, just

[Monique Ziolkowski]

looking down over at Crazy Nurses forehead. When it was coming out, that was really cool. Because when you measure everything in a small scale and then you go up and see it come out in a big scale, that's very, very nice.

[Jen Dale]

The long days and hard work pay off. On June 3, 1998, the nine story high face is finally complete and ready to be unveiled. It's covered in 10,000 square feet of nylon material. The top two thirds are blue and the lower third yellow, with a large white sun emblazoned on it. But it's far from a typical sunny summer's day.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

That was a funny day because it was very cold and snowy and freezing out. So we had a drape over Crazy Horse's face and we had to physically go up there and cut, cut the rope so the covering would drop off the face.

[Jen Dale]

Several hundred people attend the reveal and special dedication ceremony. Monique recalls several members of the Lakota being at her family home that day.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

They were pleased. They were proud.

[Jen Dale]

However, the carving of Crazy Horse is not without controversy. As reported on Voice of America in 2003.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

The problem, according to Crazy Horse descendant Elaine Quiver, is that Henry Standing Bear

[Jen Dale]

had no right to petition Korzak Zulkowski

[Monique Ziolkowski]

to create the mountain carving in the first place.

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

We didn't give permission for someone to

[Monique Ziolkowski]

carve the sacred Black Hills.

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

It's a desecration of our Indian culture.

[Jen Dale]

But a member of the Lakota tribe told CBS Morning in 2016 she's happy about the project.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

I'm really fortunate that the monument here gives us natives an opportunity to educate the general public about our culture and about proper respect. When they come into our land. We can't make everybody happy. And we know that what we're doing, our hearts are in it. And it's not for money. It's for the project and the telling of the story of the Native people. So if some people don't care for it, we can't fix that. But we know what we're doing is correct.

[Jen Dale]

In the decades since the face of Crazy Horse was completed, work has concentrated on the outstretched arm hand and horse's mane pride.

[Monique Ziolkowski]

I don't have a lot of that because you need to be humble and just know what you're doing matters.

[Jen Dale]

Monique Ziolkowski is the Crazy Horse Memorial's artistic and historical advisor. She was speaking to me. Jen Dale for Witness History if you found this interesting, then you may want to check out some of our other episodes, such as the final journey of Chief Long Wolf and Restoring the Statue of Liberty. And why not leave us a review. Thanks for listening. From the brilliant and bizarre, it was really surreal.

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

It was a surreal kind of atmosphere there. You couldn't really see anybody.

[Jen Dale]

To the shocking and unexpected.

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

I'm just wondering, what are we going to do now? This was really my worst fear. He found 100% horse meat that was labeled as beef.

[Jen Dale]

Witness the stories that have shaped our world, told by the people who were there. When he went to the factory, the poodle went in front of him, so the workers only oh, the boss is here.

[Korczak Ziolkowski]

Many people had many things to lose by our victory. The future was not so bright. Witness History we had a designer, he brought in a fully storyboarded idea about how the Queen would arrive by jumping out of a helicopter and we all said, that's brilliant, but it's never going to happen.

[Jen Dale]

Witness [e-mail] witness history or wherever you get your podcasts.