End of the Trail (Fraser) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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End of the Trail
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | Shaler Park Waupun, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1928 |
| Sculptor | James Earl Fraser |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000136 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1980 |
The End of the Trail is a famous sculpture created by James Earle Fraser. You can find one important copy of it in Waupun, Wisconsin, United States. This artwork shows a tired Native American man on a weary horse. They appear to have reached the very edge of the land, like the Pacific Ocean. The statue shares a powerful message about how European settlement affected Native Americans. It shows the deep sadness and exhaustion of people who were forced to leave their homes and traditional lands.
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The Story Behind the Sculpture
James Earle Fraser first created this sculpture in 1894. He got the idea from his own childhood experiences. When he was a boy, he lived in the Dakota Territory. He remembered an old trapper saying that Native Americans would someday be pushed all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Fraser later explained that he wanted to create a statue of a Native American. This statue would represent his people reaching "the end of the trail." This meant they had nowhere else to go.
Displaying the Original Sculpture
A large version of the sculpture, made from plaster, was shown at a big event. This was the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The sculpture was very popular and even won a gold medal!
After the Exposition, it was hard to find bronze metal because of World War I. So, the plaster sculpture was sadly thrown into a mud pit. This happened in Marina Park, near where the exhibition was held.
Luckily, the plaster sculpture was saved in 1919. It was then moved to Mooney Grove Park in Visalia, California.
Copies of the Sculpture
Fraser began selling smaller bronze copies of his sculpture in 1918. The statue in Waupun, Wisconsin, is one of these bronze copies. A man named Clarence Shaler asked for it to be made in 1926. It was officially shown to the public on June 23, 1929. This statue was created to honor Native Americans.
The original plaster sculpture was moved again in 1968. It went from Visalia to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There, it was fixed up and is now on display. You can see it at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Visalia received a new bronze copy to replace the original.
The Waupun statue was recognized as an important historical artwork in 1980. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Where to See End of the Trail Today
Many copies of the 1915 sculpture are on display around the United States. You can find one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Another copy is in the library at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. This is James Earle Fraser's hometown. There is also a 1929 monument at the Riverside Cemetery in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The image of the statue even appeared on an album cover! It was on the original cover of the 1971 album Surf's Up by the famous band, The Beach Boys.
