South Dakota's Amazing Family of Sculptors

Sept. 25 -- In 1948, Korczak Ziolkowski began carving a monument he thought reflected the glory and tragedy of Native Americans.

Though still a work in progress, the monument of Crazy Horse, the Lakota Indian chief, is still taking shape in the Black Hills of South Dakota just 17 miles southwest of Mount Rushmore. Korczak died in 1992. But what he began five decades ago became a family affair, with three generations of one family helping to build what will be the largest mountain sculpture in the entire world when it is finished.

Daily Carving Chores

The Ziolkowskis grew up on Crazy Horse Mountain, where family movies were history and daily chores meant helping dad carve out of granite. Is it any surprise they won Good Morning America's vote for South Dakota's amazing family?

"I didn't realize that it was different until I grew old enough to understand what different was," said Dawn Ziolkowski, Korczak's daughter, and a sculptor on Crazy Horse. "So, it's a very, it's, for us, it's normal."

Normal to her family means carving a 563-foot monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Today, seven of the 10 children work on Crazy Horse.

"Like every other teenager, I thought my old man was crazy," said her sister, Monique Ziolkowski. "I figured my mother was, too, and I could do better on my own. I made a lot more money wherever else I went, but something was missing."

Completing a Dream

Work for this family means carving a mountain for the rest of their lives. There's no expected completion date. Crazy Horse's face alone took 50 years. This generation carves Crazy Horse's horse, they say, to complete their father's dream.

"Everything he did, he did for the love of it," said Monique Ziolkowski. "He's one extreme to the other, and everything in between. And he walks with me wherever I go, just like mom will."

Ruth Ziolkowski, 76, leads this amazing family, and their project, and is CEO of the Crazy Horse Memorial. She took over when her husband, Korczak, passed away. His life's work is now her own.