Black Hills Location
Means any Deadwood trip must
include these national treasures:
Mount Rushmore: This iconic tribute to democracy attracts more than 3-million visitors each year. They observe a massive artistic accomplishment. Gutzon Borglun’s rendering of presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt towers 5,500 feet above sea level. Each head is the equivalent of a six-story building. By design, shifting daylight seems to animate the faces. Time here is sure to ignite a patriotic spark. Note: Mount Rushmore’s acclaimed Independence Day fireworks display will
be held July 3 this year.
Crazy Horse Memorial: For more than 60 years, the world’s largest carving project has been underway approximately eight miles from Mount Rushmore. A protégé of Mount Rushmore’s sculptor Gutzon Borglum, Korczak Ziolkowski, began the project in 1948 and worked on it until his death in 1982. Since then, Ziolkowski’s widow and their ten children continue to work from the original plans. The face was completed in 1998 and the rest of the project is still under construction Current work focuses on the head of Crazy Horse’s steed. It’s 214 feet, or approximately 22-stories, in height. A visitor’s center details the project’s milestones. No completion date is in sight.
The Badlands National Park: The name says it all. Wind and water erosion created a dust-colored, craggy landscape that seems utterly desolate. However, the eerie spires and canyons belie vast grasslands that are also part of this quarter-million acre preserve. It provides a home for pronghorn antelope, bison, deer and eagles, and an incredible wilderness encounter for visitors.
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