Refreshingly, Oct 12th in the Black Hills of South Dakota is Native American Day.  A free buffalo stew lunch was afforded any and all who arrived at the Crazy Horse Memorial with food donations for nearby tribes.

Opposed by some but not all Native Americans, the Crazy Horse Memorial stands proud even in it's unfinished state.  Towering above the snowy heights the day my husband and I visited we were afforded awesome views of the mountain.

The zig-zag path that the blasting machinery takes is immense and overwhelming as outlined in the white snow.  We were privy to a blast on the mountain which is announced over a loud-speaker for all to pick a good place to view the dust and rock falls.

The huge hole in the middle of the mountain is nearly 10 stories high and was necessary so that the machinery did not have to be moved back and forth around the front of the mountain.

The profile shot of Crazy Horse is striking.  A fascinating fact is that Mt Rushmore is tiny in comparison to the Crazy Horse Memorial.  It would fit barely into the upper left hand side of the memorial.  That really puts it into perspective for size.

A definite must-see in the Black Hills of South Dakota!