Crazy Horse (1849?-1877), chief of the Oglala Sioux, known for his
part in the Native American resistance to white expansion in the western United
States. As a young man, Crazy Horse fought against United States troops in
Wyoming under the Oglala chief Red Cloud. Upon his marriage to a Cheyenne
woman, he became the leader of a band of Oglala and Cheyenne who refused
confinement to reservations.
When gold was discovered in the Black Hills region in 1874 and
prospectors swarmed the area, Crazy Horse joined forces with Sitting Bull, a
chief of the Hunkpapa Sioux, to keep their land free of occupation by white
settlers. On June 17, 1876, he repelled a detachment of troops under General
George Crook at the Battle of Rosebud Creek in what is now Montana. After the
battle, Crazy Horse and his people joined Sitting Bull's encampment on the
Little Bighorn River. On June 25 the camp was attacked by Lieutenant Colonel
George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry. In the ensuing Battle of the
Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse and his warriors killed Custer and most of his
cavalry. The United States Army then began a relentless pursuit of Crazy Horse;
he finally surrendered in Nebraska on May 6, 1877. A few months later, while
reportedly resisting confinement, he was killed by a soldier.
A monument to Crazy Horse is being carved out of a mountain in the
Black Hills of South Dakota just 27 km (17 mi) from Mount Rushmore. American
sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began carving the monument in the 1940s, and after
his death in 1982 members of his family continued working on the sculpture. The
carved face of Crazy Horse, 27 m (87 ft) high, was finished and dedicated in
1998. When the entire statue is completed some time in the 21st century, it is
expected to be almost 180 m (600 ft) high.
Tags
Native Americans
