Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park
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Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park
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 Location in Oklahoma
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Foyil, Oklahoma |
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| Area | 1.4 acres (0.57 ha) |
| Built | 1937 |
| Architect | Nathan Edward Galloway |
| NRHP reference No. | 99000354 |
| Added to NRHP | March 30, 1999 |
Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park is a special place in Rogers County, Oklahoma. It has eleven unique sculptures and one building. The park covers about 1.4 acres (5,700 square meters).
You can find the park near Foyil, Oklahoma, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Claremore. It's also just 3.5 miles (6 km) east of the famous historic U.S. Route 66. The park became part of the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1999. Today, the Rogers County Historical Society takes care of it. The main attraction is a huge totem pole, known as the "World’s Largest Concrete Totem Pole."
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Who Built Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park?
The park was created by a man named Ed Galloway. He was born in 1880 in Springfield, Missouri. Ed served in the U.S. Army in the Philippines. When he came back home, he started carving large sculptures from tree trunks.
In 1914, a kind person named Charles Page from Tulsa noticed Ed's amazing work. Charles hired Ed to teach art at a children's home in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
How the Totem Pole Park Began
Ed Galloway retired in 1937. He moved to a small farm near Foyil, Oklahoma. Soon after, he began building his giant totem pole. He used modern materials for this huge project. It took six tons of steel, 28 tons of cement, and 100 tons of sand and rock.
By 1948, Ed finished the main totem pole. It stands about 90 feet (27 meters) tall. The base of the totem pole is 30 feet (9 meters) wide. It rests on the back of a turtle. This design is inspired by a Native American story about how the world was created. The entire totem pole has about 200 detailed pictures. These pictures show colorful Native American faces, symbols, and animal shapes.
Other Sculptures and the Fiddle House
Besides the main totem pole, the park has other interesting features. Ed Galloway built an eleven-sided building called the "Fiddle House." This house is supported by 25 concrete totem poles, both inside and out.
The Fiddle House used to display many of Ed's handmade items. These included hand-carved fiddles, furniture, and pictures of all the U.S. Presidents up to John F. Kennedy. Sadly, many of these items were stolen in 1970 and were never found.
The park also has four smaller concrete totem poles. There are two fancy concrete picnic tables with animal-shaped seats. You can also find a barbecue area and four sets of gateposts shaped like animals.
Ed Galloway lived at the park and worked on his creations every day until he passed away in 1962. Some people believe he wanted his art to teach young people about Native American culture. Others think he simply wanted to create a fun place for kids, especially Boy Scouts, to visit.
Restoring the Totem Pole Park
After Ed Galloway's death, the sculptures started to wear down. Weather and lack of care caused damage over many years. In the 1990s, the Kansas Grassroots Art Association began a big project to fix the park.
The outdoor sculptures were repaired and repainted. The Fiddle House was saved from falling apart. It was then turned into the Fiddle House Museum and Gift Shop.
More work was done on the bottom 20 feet of the main totem pole between 2008 and 2009. The top part of the totem pole was repaired from mid-2015 to mid-2020. Thanks to these efforts, the park continues to be a wonderful place to visit and learn.
