Both Are Immortalized But Only One is Well-Known

To the Editor: 
America’s most famous outdoor sculpture is Mount Rushmore, which features the busts of President Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln. According to one National Park Service pamphlet, these four figures symbolize the” birth and trials” of the first 150 years of the United States.
It is quite obvious that Washington was the strongest force behind the founding of the Republic, while Jefferson was the central figure in the internal expansion with the addition of the Louisiana Purchase. The external expansion of our country belongs to the hero of the Spanish-American War, Teddy Roosevelt, so where does that leave Abe Lincoln?
According to the widow of Gutzon Borglum, who was the major sculptor and brainchild behind these monuments, he chose Lincoln because of his role as “the savior of the Republic” and kept it from shrinking. Other presidents considered were Madison, Jackson, Monroe, and Polk, but in the end, Borglum had his way, along with his decision to have busts of the presidents and not a full frontal view because of time and cost constraints. Unfortunately, Borglum died of an embolism seven months prior to the unveiling in November 1941.
Now, about the other immortalized sculpture. Located just eight miles from Mount Rushmore, in South Dakota, is an unfinished sculpture of the great Indian Chieftain, Crazy Horse mounted on his white horse. Korczak Ziolkowski was a renowned sculptor who worked on Mount Rushmore and decided in the late 1940’s to begin work on Crazy Horse with the approval of local Indian tribes.
This began as a one-man task, Ziolkowski, and later four of his sons, and still later, many of his 23 grandchildren were involved in the project, which began on June 3, 1948, and is an ongoing project for two reasons.
Mount Rushmore had hundreds of workers and was federally funded at a cost of $989,992.32. Crazy Horse Foundation has not received nor will it accept any state or federal funding. The Ziolkowski family relies solely upon donations, sales, and admission fees. Hence, this is the major reason it is an ongoing work in progress which measures more than two football fields in length and nearly 560-feet high.
When Ziolkowski died in 1982, nearly all his family members came together to continue sculpting the world’s largest mountain carving. Over 1 million visitors come year round to see the progress on this “other” sculpture. While visiting Mount Rushmore, take the time to check out Crazy Horse. Happy trails to you!