Crazy Horse...

The first time we visited the Black Hills we were told by a number of people to be sure to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial but somehow we just never made it there. This time it was at the top of the list. It is about sixty-five miles from our campground to Crazy Horse, a good day trip...and we enjoyed the sights along the way.

Just wish we'd stopped to buy a bottle of Red Ass Rhubarb Wine!

If, like me, you don't know how the Crazy Horse Memorial came to be, here's a little background.

In 1939 Korczak Ziolkowski, a sculptor from New England came to the Black Hills to help with Mount Rushmore. He also won first prize that year at the New York World's Fair for a marble portrait he'd done. Chief Standing Bear read about him in the news and invited him to create a mountain tribute to the North American Indians. Chief Crazy Horse was chosen for the monument by the Native American Indians because he was considered to be a warrior without equal and because the American Indians today believe his short life paralleled the tragic history of the North American Indians since their lands were invaded by the white man.

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Korcazk Ziolkowski and Chief Standing Bear - Reunion of Survivors of the Battle of Little Big Horn

The mountain carving is impressive but the history is what really caught my attention as I've always had an interest in the plight of the North American Indians. The movie you see when you first enter is full of interesting history and is even captioned so I was able to understand all the dialogue. After that we toured the museum, the sculptor's studio, the log home Korczak Ziolkowski built for himself and his family (he lived the first five years in a tent), and the gift shop (of course). I fell in love with some pottery but didn't have $500 to take it home! We also saw a cool demonstration of hoop dancing by some Native American girls.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is the world's largest mountain carving in progress. The sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski started the carving in 1948 and married his wife in 1950. They had ten children, six of whom work on the mountain today along with a some of their twenty-three grandchildren. You can learn more on their website.

                        

We finished our day with dinner at the Laughing Waters Restaurant on the grounds. The profits go to helping fund the Crazy Horse Project.

Seeing Crazy Horse was well worth the one hundred thirty mile round trip.

Back in the Black Hills...

We loved the Black Hills of South Dakota when we were here in 2014 and said several times that we would definitely return...so return, we did. We saw most of the sights on that visit except for the Crazy Horse Memorial so that was at the top of our list this time. I also wanted to go back to Deadwood. It's kitschy, commercial and touristy and I love it!

We stayed in Day's End Campground in Sturgis this time. Nothing fancy, gravel pull-thru sites right off the highway with a few trees and some grass, but their rates are great and with Passport America it was too good to pass up.

Deadwood wasn't nearly as busy and crowded in early June as it was in July 2014...guess the season is just beginning in June...I like it better that way.

As I said in my 2014 Deadwood post, we went back to The Stockade at the Buffalo Bodega Steakhouse so I could sit and listen to Yancy DeVeer singing and making jokes. I was happy! The food is just okay but I go for the entertainment!

We also went to Kevin Costner's Midnight Star and had dinner upstairs at Diamond Lil's. His more upscale restaurant, Jake's, has closed. The food at Diamond Lil's is good bar food but the memorabilia is great. I never realized just how many movies he's done. I've seen a lot of them but it seems there are even more I haven't seen! Guess I'm going to have to do something about that.
 

Our last night we were feeling lazy and just went up the street from the campground and discovered the Pizza Ranch. It's a mid-west chain with a pretty good buffet...the best things on it are the fried chicken, the California pizza and the dessert pizza (especially the peach!)...Senior price is only nine dollars and change and it includes a drink. Can't beat that!

Crazy Horse Memorial is about 65 miles from Sturgis and we made a full day trip out of it. That will be my next post...

Deadwood...

Deadwood lies about fifteen miles from Sturgis and it's like going into another world and another time. It's an old Wild West town...home to Wild Bill Hickok, and Calamity Jane.

We saw Saloon # 10 where Wild Bill was shot during a poker game. The original spot burned down in 1879, but a new Saloon #10 was built in 1937. There you can see daily reenactments of the shooting. There are also gunfights on Main Street several times a day. Touristy, yes, but a lot of fun.

We took a tour up to Boot Hill...Mt Moriah Cemetery and saw both Wild Bill Hickok's and Calamity Jane's graves. They are buried alongside of each other in accordance with Calamity Jane's last wishes. It's a beautiful setting up on a hill. We also learned that almost all Deadwood's income is derived from casinos.

While we were in Deadwood, Jack turned 67 and we celebrated his birthday with a steak dinner at the Gem Steakhouse, where all the meals are named after Deadwood characters. One of the things he wanted to do was visit the Days of '76 Museum. It was interesting, but the best part was the antique carriage collection in the basement. I got some great photos of all the carriages. There were a lot...so I'll post the pictures at the end of this post.

Yancy DeVeer

My favorite place was The Stockade...a part of the Buffalo Bodega Steakhouse. We ate there three times!  We happened upon it the first day we explored Deadwood when we heard the music half a block away. We reached the open air bar and saw Yancey DeVeer, a performer with a long grey ponytail and a twelve string guitar. His music and humor drew us in, we found a place to sit and ordered a beer. He sang everything from country music to crazy oldies like Woolly Bully to the Beatles to the theme from the sixties western Rawhide. Three hours, a couple of beers, and a cheeseburger and fries later, we dragged ourselves away and headed back to the RV...but not before getting our picture taken sitting in the "butt" chairs! We returned a second night for dinner and went back again on our last night. Yancy has been performing there daily for at least twenty-five years and, apparently, people return regularly to listen to him.

We fell in love with South Dakota, particularly the Black Hills and will return. When we do, I'm heading straight to the Stockade for more music, beer and cheeseburgers!

Mt. Moriah Cemetery
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Street Gun Fight
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Various Shots Around Deadwood
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The Carriage Collection at the Days of '76 Museum

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