Comments on: Dakota Royale http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/2009/07/29/craaaazy-horsssses Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:36:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brent http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/2009/07/29/craaaazy-horsssses/comment-page-1#comment-130046 Brent Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:13:27 +0000 http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/?p=1664#comment-130046 If you do a little digging, you'll come to find out that the Crazy Horse people aren't really just trying to cash in. I believe the story goes something like this: the guy that started crazy horse, while he may have wanted to show up the Rushmore people, wanted to do it all on his own. Rushmore started as a family charge, but they then took in federal funds and it all of a sudden became property of the government. The gov't promised the family that after the guy (Borglum) died, they would continue the work to finish his grand design, which was that the 4 presidents be depicted from their head to their waist. We can all see that it is only their heads that show to this date (and some of them barely that much is finished - Lincoln has no ear on his left). So the Crazy Horse people saw what happened at Rushmore, and when they too were propositioned by the gov't to take over and fund the project, they turned the gov't down because they didn't want their vision to end up wasted. The money that they take in at the gate and the souvenirs that they sell are what continue to fund the work on the monument. Without people paying those charges, the work would cease and the vision would die. That is probably why the lady at the gate gave you a glazed look, because she knows the behind the scenes story. I'm not faulting you for not paying, b/c that's a hefty amount. I'm just trying to put straight the idea that they are "cashing in," because surely they are not. If you do a little digging, you’ll come to find out that the Crazy Horse people aren’t really just trying to cash in. I believe the story goes something like this: the guy that started crazy horse, while he may have wanted to show up the Rushmore people, wanted to do it all on his own. Rushmore started as a family charge, but they then took in federal funds and it all of a sudden became property of the government. The gov’t promised the family that after the guy (Borglum) died, they would continue the work to finish his grand design, which was that the 4 presidents be depicted from their head to their waist. We can all see that it is only their heads that show to this date (and some of them barely that much is finished – Lincoln has no ear on his left).

So the Crazy Horse people saw what happened at Rushmore, and when they too were propositioned by the gov’t to take over and fund the project, they turned the gov’t down because they didn’t want their vision to end up wasted. The money that they take in at the gate and the souvenirs that they sell are what continue to fund the work on the monument. Without people paying those charges, the work would cease and the vision would die. That is probably why the lady at the gate gave you a glazed look, because she knows the behind the scenes story.

I’m not faulting you for not paying, b/c that’s a hefty amount. I’m just trying to put straight the idea that they are “cashing in,” because surely they are not.

]]> By: geofftech http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/2009/07/29/craaaazy-horsssses/comment-page-1#comment-130044 geofftech Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:07:18 +0000 http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/?p=1664#comment-130044 It's now $27 for a car-full of people at Crazy Horse... and yup, i think i used to know that Rushmore used to be free, and i can totally understand the entrance charge to pay for that parking lot in a town where there isn't a lot of space to build one! Crazy Horse however is much further out of town from Keystone, in a huge massive expanse of land, and they're clearly just trying to cash in. Shame on them. And thanks to Steven for sending me 'Dakota' on .mp3! (he then swiftly followed it up by sending me a song called 'Montana' to help me through where i am today...) It’s now $27 for a car-full of people at Crazy Horse… and yup, i think i used to know that Rushmore used to be free, and i can totally understand the entrance charge to pay for that parking lot in a town where there isn’t a lot of space to build one!

Crazy Horse however is much further out of town from Keystone, in a huge massive expanse of land, and they’re clearly just trying to cash in. Shame on them.

And thanks to Steven for sending me ‘Dakota’ on .mp3! (he then swiftly followed it up by sending me a song called ‘Montana’ to help me through where i am today…)

]]> By: Andrew http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/2009/07/29/craaaazy-horsssses/comment-page-1#comment-130043 Andrew Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:42:13 +0000 http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/?p=1664#comment-130043 Hands up who just put Dakota on? Hands up who just put Dakota on?

]]> By: Brent http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/2009/07/29/craaaazy-horsssses/comment-page-1#comment-130042 Brent Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:27:18 +0000 http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/?p=1664#comment-130042 My family took a western road trip in 1990 when I was 10. We stopped at the Crazy Horse monument site and my parents paid the entry fee (may have been much different back then). Back then there was no face on the monument and the hole that will be the gap between Crazy Horse's arm and the horse's neck was barely there. My mom had gone to the monument on a trip when she was a kid back in the 1960's. Aside from the face, it really hasn't changed all that much in the over 60 yrs of work on it. My family took a western road trip in 1990 when I was 10. We stopped at the Crazy Horse monument site and my parents paid the entry fee (may have been much different back then). Back then there was no face on the monument and the hole that will be the gap between Crazy Horse’s arm and the horse’s neck was barely there.

My mom had gone to the monument on a trip when she was a kid back in the 1960′s. Aside from the face, it really hasn’t changed all that much in the over 60 yrs of work on it.

]]> By: Pat (aka "cheappd") http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/2009/07/29/craaaazy-horsssses/comment-page-1#comment-130041 Pat (aka "cheappd") Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:12:50 +0000 http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/?p=1664#comment-130041 Last time we were in the Black Hills, I also pulled up to the Crazy Horse monument not knowing the admission cost. When they told me how much ($19 for a family of 4 in 2002), I did exactly what you did - made a U-turn and left. I think the guy taking the money scowled too. It used to be free to enter Mount Rushmore back in the '80s. It got so busy and parking became a problem that they had to build the parking garage that's there now. Not a lot of flat land there to build a standard parking lot. The parking fee is to pay back the cost of the garage. Last time we were in the Black Hills, I also pulled up to the Crazy Horse monument not knowing the admission cost. When they told me how much ($19 for a family of 4 in 2002), I did exactly what you did – made a U-turn and left. I think the guy taking the money scowled too.

It used to be free to enter Mount Rushmore back in the ’80s. It got so busy and parking became a problem that they had to build the parking garage that’s there now. Not a lot of flat land there to build a standard parking lot. The parking fee is to pay back the cost of the garage.

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