Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monuments

August 22

We spent the day exploring the KOA, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument.

I didn’t take any photos, but the KOA is not your normal Campground. It’s price should have given that away, but we all were in shock when we rolled into the resort and saw swimming pools, a water slide, a splash park, bouncing area, playground, 3 or 4 restaurants and horses!

Kids both took advantage of the water slide, and Addy spent extra time at the bounce area, pool and mini golf.

We headed into the mountains further to visit Mount Rushmore. Being closer to the rocky formations was even better than the previous days far away viewing!

When we made it around to the front side of the Monument, it was clear that this place was going to be way more awesome than originally expected. I caught these pictures just from the car!

By far this has been the most organized National Park/Place we have been. Parking directors with signs showing which lots were full, signs showing you the way to the monument and museum all made for a very easy navigation to the viewing platforms.

We toured the museum and caught the informational movie in the auditorium. The history behind the vision and creation of this amazing feat is mind blowing.

It took 14 years (1927-1941) to place George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in stone.

After exploring, we headed towards Hill City and onto Rock Springs to get fuel, then back by Rushmore to the campground.

Around the backside we got to see Washington’s profile, which we did not see on the way in.

At 5pm the horses at the resort head home to their ranch along the backside of the property. Pretty cool to hear the cowboys calling and guiding them on.

After dark we decided to go to the Crazy Horse Memorial to see the laser light show. At arrival the mountain was light up against a black sky, which added to its immense size.

At first the kids could not see the face carved in the rock, but after getting their glasses on it was very clear where the face, arm and horses head were coming into form.

The light show was a history lesson, including how “promises were made, but only one was kept” to the Native American Indians. That promise was that white man would take their lands, and they did.

The light show wasn’t all sad history, it also celebrated the diversity of America and how in battle overseas we always banded together, regardless of race.

The show also demonstrated the progression of the work on the monument over the past years, with quite a bit of the progress being more recent. Work started on the memorial in 1948, and is 70 years in the making with a long way to go. At the very end they showed what the finished product will look like.

What a great lesson for the kids, and us. Glad we took the time to go, and hopefully will be able to come back when it’s finished.