Raise the Mammoth

"Monumental Tribute to a Legendary Giant" by Gary DuChateau Hot Springs, SD

The Landmark Mammoth Project began in 2005 when Hot Springs developer, Steve Simunek and retired General Motors vice president, John Rock were brainstorming about how to put the town of Hot Springs, South Dakota on the map. Literally the tourist map for the Black Hills, Bad Lands and Lakes Association stopped just north of Hot Springs. The town needed increased traffic and the question was how to create it.

Simunek and Rock wanted to capture the attention of the thousands of vacationers that passed the turn off to Hot Springs each summer on their way to the many attractions that had already made it “on to the map” became their goal. Why not a mammoth Mammoth?

After one of their early brainstorming sessions the pair was riding in Simunek’s truck and pulled up next to sculptor Gary DuChateau in his truck at a stop sign. Simunek hollered out the window at DuChateau, “How would you like to do a sculpture of a mammoth 10 times life size?” and a classic “South Dakota Roadside Conference” began. Both drivers turned off their engines right there at the intersection and the three began to discuss just what it would take to make the massive idea a reality.

A hill at the northwest corner of the US HWY 385/18 intersection provided great visibility and was already owned by Simunek. It was an ideal site for the huge eye-catching Mammoth sculpture and provided plenty of room for a visitor and education center. A whole family of mammoths along with giant sculptures of a saber tooth cat and other extinct animals of the Pliocene era would fit on the site.

In 2005, construction was well underway. John Rock, though still very supportive, had moved on to other projects, but Steve Simunek and Gary DuChateau were still all in. The project was originally planned to be cast in bronze and ten times life size, but the estimated $3 million price tag led the pair to make some modifications. A shift was made from bronze to a very sturdy finish coating made of a material called Dryvit. This synthetic cement-like coating will be colored to match the color of the Woolly Mammoth. In addition to its durability is easy to repair if necessary. The majestic sculpture was also scaled down to a more reasonable 3 times life-size, making it 36 feet tall, and 50 feet long. It has reinforced concrete columns extending 38 feet into the ground to anchor it securely in the high winds common at the top of the hill. The structure will be so tall that given its location on the hill and the landing pattern of the local airport, approval was needed from the FAA before construction could begin. The installation is being done in 3 ft layers from the feet to the top of the head. So far the 4-foot pedestal and 15 feet of mammoth itself are in place. Another 3 feet has been carved and is awaiting installation. Layers may not be installed until the layer above them is cut. This assures that all the layers will match up once they are on site.

In 2008 construction had to be delayed due to economic consequences of the real estate crash. The goal is to resume construction as early as this summer. Fundraising efforts are now underway PLEASE Check out our GoFundMe campaign at the link below.

http://www.gofundme.com/RaiseTheMammoth
http://www.duchateausculpture.com

see us on google maps
street view https://www.google.com/maps/search/HWY+79+AND+HWY+18+SOUTH+Dakota/@43.400247,-103.39936,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m5!1e2!3m3!1s66009228!2e1!3e10
birdseye view
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4029894,-103.3991072,78m/data=!3m1!1e3

News story --http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/massive-mammoth-model-rising/article_c6f3ca3a-761d-5860-9e39-d2d40a959d81.html

News story--http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/new-monumental-mammoth-to-greet-hot-springs-visitors/article_7710fa06-9495-5bb3-9265-55f7c535b490.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-trips/110176592338658

Tags: Tourist Attraction,Monument