Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial we visited in the same day.
We have mixed feelings about Mount Rushmore because of the politics of taking sacred indigenous land and carving white dudes’ faces into it. Mount Rushmore apparently was conceived of, funded, and built, and then handed off to NPS for maintenance and administration. There was basically no information why anyone thought it would be a good idea to carve up a mountain, why put presidents faces on it, why those presidents, nothing. The entire memorial was essentially a dedication to the sculptor and his family and the workers who performed the work on the memorial. I would have liked to learn a bit more about the geology of the mountain. What made the rocks special. What the politics of the Era were etc. It felt like all of that was purposefully being hidden away. Mount Rushmore can’t even be seen from the road unless you pay the parking fee and walk up to it. It’s completely hidden from view from the rest of the area.
Crazy Horse Memorial was an excellent visit. This memorial is 100% funded by visitor entrance fees and donations. It isn’t even close to complete yet. The visitor center and video were really well done and explain the why of the memorial. In addition to the memorial, the sculptor and his family and foundation have dedicated themselves to furthering the education of local indigenous people and helping them preserve their history. You can see Crazy Horse from the road, it is not hidden from view. It felt inspiring and peaceful to be amongst the Crazy Horse memorial. It definitely had a much different vibe than Mount Rushmore did.
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