Pioneer Woman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pioneer Woman |
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| Artist | Bryant Baker |
| Year | 1930 |
| Type | Bronze statue |
| Location | Ponca City, Oklahoma |
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Pioneer Woman Statue
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 Location in Oklahoma
Location in the United States
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| NRHP reference No. | 78002238 |
| Added to NRHP | August 31, 1978 |
The Pioneer Woman monument is a famous bronze statue located in Ponca City, Oklahoma. It was created by the sculptor Bryant Baker and officially revealed on April 22, 1930. The statue shows a woman wearing a sunbonnet, holding a child's hand. A rich oilman named E. W. Marland gave this statue to the State of Oklahoma. He asked twelve famous sculptors to make small models. Then, he sent these models on a tour across the country. People could vote on which model they liked best for the final statue.
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Creating the Pioneer Woman Statue
Around 1925, E. W. Marland had a big idea for a sculpture project. He wanted many statues about how people settled the American West. He first asked sculptor Jo Davidson to help. Davidson didn't want to work on such a huge project for a long time.
Marland then convinced Davidson to come to Ponca City. Davidson created three statues for Marland. While Davidson worked, Marland told him about his "most cherished dream." This dream was a very tall statue, about 25 feet high. Marland wanted it placed on a hill where everyone could see it for miles. Marland's own pioneering mother and grandmother inspired this idea.
Choosing the Best Design
Marland invited many top American sculptors to join a competition. He offered each of them $10,000 to create a small bronze model. These models were about 3 feet tall. Marland planned to send these models on a tour across the United States. The American public would then vote for their favorite design. The winning model would be made into the large statue in Ponca City.
Some famous sculptors like Daniel Chester French and Paul Manship said no. The only two women invited, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Anna Hyatt Huntington, also declined. This left twelve male artists to compete.
The artists who submitted models included Bryant Baker, A. Stirling Calder, Jo Davidson, James Earle Fraser, and others. Marland wanted the statue to show a pioneer woman with a child. He even gave each sculptor a sunbonnet to use as a guide. Most of the models included a sunbonnet and a child.
One sculptor, Mahonri Young, created a detailed model. It showed the pioneer woman holding her child like a "Renaissance Madonna." His design also included bison statues guarding the base. However, the public didn't see his full vision, and his model didn't get many votes.
The winning sculptor, Bryant Baker, used a professional actress as his model. Some people thought his figure looked more like a glamorous movie star than a real pioneer woman. Donald De Lue, who was Baker's assistant, later said he did most of the work on the winning model. He claimed Baker only supervised and finished the face.
James Earle Fraser's model was unique. It showed a woman breastfeeding her child while still holding a rifle. This model was based on his own aunt, who was a pioneer. Many years later, Wheeler Williams' model was found again. It was made much larger and now stands in front of the public library in Liberty, Kansas.
The National Tour of Models
The small bronze models were first shown in New York City on February 26, 1927. They stayed there until March 19. Before the public viewing, Marland spoke to the sculptors. He talked about how important pioneer women were. He said they carried "refinement, moral character and spiritual force into the West."
After New York, the models traveled to many cities. These included Boston, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Dallas. Visitors in each city could vote for their top three favorite models. More than 750,000 people saw the models. Over 120,000 votes were cast.
The models caused a lot of discussion. Newspapers like New York Times and the LA Times featured photos of them. Art critics often disliked the sunbonnets, calling them "terrible headwear." Even elementary school art classes used the models for writing assignments.
On December 20, 1927, Bryant Baker's model was announced as the winner. It received the most votes in 11 cities. John Gregory's model was second most popular. Baker's Pioneer Woman won with 42,478 votes, beating Gregory's 37,782 votes.
Funding and Building the Statue
The entire Pioneer Woman project cost about $350,000. This included $10,000 for each of the twelve finalists. The winner, Bryant Baker, received an additional $100,000. The rest of the money covered the tour and building the statue's base.
E. W. Marland paid for most of the project. However, his money started to run low. He had to find more funding to finish the statue. Some private donations helped. Lew Wentz, another rich man from Ponca City, loaned Marland $25,000. This loan helped Marland make the final payments for the statue.
Marland bought 2,000 acres of land to place the statue. The statue stands near U.S. Route 77, just outside Ponca City. Baker said creating the statue took years off his life. He was worried he wouldn't live to see it finished.
The Grand Unveiling
The statue was officially unveiled on April 22, 1930. This date was the 41st anniversary of the Land Rush of 1889, which opened Oklahoma Territory to settlers. The governor declared it a state holiday. The celebration in Ponca City included a parade and a 19-gun salute. About 40,000 people came to watch the unveiling.
The dedication ceremony started with a radio address from President Herbert Hoover. He spoke from the White House. He introduced Patrick J. Hurley, the Secretary of War, who was from Oklahoma. Hurley also spoke from his home because he was ill.
After their speeches, the broadcast continued from Ponca City. Other speakers included Marland, Baker, and Oklahoma Governor William J. Holloway. The famous Oklahoma humorist, Will Rogers, closed the ceremony.
Mr. Chairman and fellow-citizens gathered at Ponca City:
It is a pleasure both to address a great audience gathered to do honor to the pioneer woman and to support my friend, the Secretary of War, who, to your and my misfortune, cannot yet leave his room from recent illness, from which happily he is on the road to recover.
There are few men of the West of my generation who did not know the pioneer woman in his own mother, and who does not rejoice to know that her part in building that great civilization is to have such beautiful recognition.
It was those women who carried the refinement, the moral character and spiritual force into the West. Not only they bore great burdens of daily toil and the rearing of families, but they were intent that their children should have a chance, that the doors of opportunity should be open to them. It was their insistence which made the schools and the churches.
But it is my duty to introduce a product of the pioneer woman of Oklahoma, who has risen high in the councils of the nation—and high in the esteem of the whole country—the Secretary of War, Patrick J. Hurley.
In the erection of this monument, we pledge a reverence to the woman who has laid the foundation of the character of our community, State and nation. This tribute to her memory will keep the fundamental principles of her character constantly before the people of Oklahoma. Every citizen who passes this way and looks upon this memorial will be strengthened in the conviction that this State shall be kept worthy of the woman whom this bronze statue commemorates.
Woman has never been given her just place in history as a pioneer, an educator, a builder, or as a leader. This is probably due to the fact that most of the pages of history are written by men about men.
Historians have been so busy with the lives of great sons that they have not stopped to immortalize the mothers who produced them. The characters of men are molded by women. We have reached that period in civilization where we are fair enough to accord to woman the honor of the pre-eminent part she has taken in shaping the destinies of mankind.
The woman has held the objectives gained by the man. She has been the bulwark ever standing between civilization and barbarism. The pioneer woman has played her part in the conquest of nature through all the ages.
We cannot evaluate her character without any appreciation of her intelligence. Here was an intelligence that quickly and clearly recognized that the three great pillars of democratic government are religion, education and the home. She trusted in God and was a firm believer in the efficacy of prayer.
The Pioneer Woman Museum
On September 16, 1958, the Pioneer Woman Museum opened. It is located next to the statue. This date was the 65th anniversary of the opening of the Cherokee Outlet. The Pioneer Woman statue is used as the museum's logo.
Statue Details and Meaning
Where to Find the Statue
The statue is located in a 5.5-acre park. It's a great place to visit in Ponca City.
Size and Appearance
The bronze statue itself is 17 feet tall. It weighs 12,000 pounds. It stands on a base made of granite blocks. This makes the total height of the monument 40 feet. The statue faces southwest. This direction symbolizes that most settlers came from the northeast.
There is a plaque on the first step below the statue. It says:
this monument was erected by e. w. marland in appreciation
of the heroic character of the woman who braved the
dangers and endured the hardships incident to the daily
life of the pioneer and homesteader in this country
The Pioneer Woman as a Symbol
The image of the Pioneer Woman has long been a symbol for Ponca City.
In 1941, the General Federation of Women's Clubs gave out special medals. These medals had a picture of the Pioneer Woman on them. The statue is also the official symbol of the four-state Ozark Frontier Trail.
When Oklahoma's State Quarter was designed in 2008, many ideas were sent to the U.S. Mint. Four of the five designs sent to the Mint included the Pioneer Woman. However, when the final designs came back, none of them showed the book under the Pioneer Woman's arm. This book is often thought to be a Bible. Some people saw this as the government trying to censor the design. This caused a big debate in Oklahoma. In the end, a different design was chosen for the quarter.
The sculptor, Bryant Baker, explained why he included the book. He said he wanted to show "Courage and Faith." He believed the Bible was very important for building the country. It was often the only book available for mothers to teach their children to read and write.
Other Pioneer Woman Sculptures
After the Ponca City statue was unveiled, other sculptures were made based on it.
The Kansas Pioneer Woman Memorial held a competition. Bryant Baker, the same sculptor, won again. A critic noted that his new design was very similar to the Oklahoma statue. However, this Kansas monument was never finished. In 1937, a different Kansas Pioneer Memorial was unveiled. It was created by Kansas-born sculptor Merrell Gage.
In 1959, a 36-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture was made for the Minnesota State Fair. It stands in front of the Pioneer Building. Like the Ponca City statue, it shows a woman in a bonnet walking forward. She also holds a large book or Bible and a bundle. This statue is even taller than the one in Ponca City.
Another sculpture called Hardship and Dreams was unveiled in Wichita, Kansas, in 1994. It was created by Dorothy Koelling. A newspaper article said this statue was "inspired by the monumental 'Pioneer Woman' in Ponca City, Okla." Koelling's six-foot-tall statue shows a bonneted pioneer woman holding a large book and a bundle. She walks forward with her son, whose hand she holds.
