''The Eternal Indian'', sometimes called the Black Hawk Statue, is a 48-foot (14.6 m) sculpture by

Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860, in Elmwood, Illinois – October 30, 1936, in Chicago) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. His 1903 book, ''The History of American Sculpture,'' was the first survey of the subject and stood for deca ...

located in

Lowden State Park Lowden State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after Governor Frank Orren Lowden. Governor Lowden had served Illinois during World War I. Lowden State Park is home to the Black Hawk ...

, near the city of

Oregon, Illinois Oregon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,721 in 2010.U.S. Census BureaPopulation, Age, Sex, Race, Households/ref> History The land Oregon, Illinois was founded on was previously he ...

. Dedicated in 1911, the statue is perched over the Rock River on a 77-foot (23.5 m) bluff overlooking the city. The statue, according to the artist, represents the unconquerable spirit of Native Americans, using motifs from several tribal cultures. While not a portrait statue, it was in part inspired by the life of Black Hawk (1767–1838), a leader and warrior of the Sauk. In 2009, it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

The statue was created by sculptor Lorado Taft, beginning in 1908. Taft at first created smaller studies of what would become the statue. The statue itself was dedicated in 1911. Taft noted at the dedication that the statue seemed to have grown out of the ground. It stands on the ground that was once home to the

Eagle's Nest Art Colony The Eagle's Nest Art Colony, the site known in more modern times as the Lorado Taft Field Campus, was founded in 1898 by American sculptor Lorado Taft on the bluffs flanking the east bank of the Rock River, overlooking Oregon, Illinois. The colon ...

, which Taft founded in 1898.National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
( PDF), Oregon Public Library, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 31 January 2007. Though not publicized at the time of construction, original funds were exhausted before the completion of the work and future Illinois Governor

Frank Lowden Frank Orren Lowden (January 26, 1861 – March 20, 1943) was an American Republican Party politician who served as the 25th Governor of Illinois and as a United States Representative from Illinois. He was also a candidate for the Republican pres ...

had stepped in to ensure that the statue was completed and erected.Changes
," NIU Historical Buildings: Lorado Taft Field Campus Historical Significance, ''Northern Illinois University''. Retrieved 5 November 2007. The statue was planned by Taft and several of his students and associates at the Art Colony, which is now part of the Taft Campus of

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

and is adjacent to

. An original model of the statue is on permanent display at Discovery Center Museum in Rockford, Illinois. Another model is located at the

Oregon Public Library The Oregon Public Library is located in Oregon, Illinois, United States, the county seat of Ogle County. The building is a public library that was constructed in 1909. Prior to 1909, Oregon's library was housed in different buildings, none of w ...

Description

The statue stands 125 feet above the Rock River, although its height only accounts for 48 feet of that. Black Hawk weighs in at 536,770 pounds and is said to be the second largest concrete monolithic statue in the world (after '' Christ the Redeemer'' in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

). It wears a long blanket and stares across the river with folded arms. With the help of John G. Prasuhn, the young sculptor of the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

created a figure almost 50 feet tall, including a six-foot base. Reinforced with iron rods, the hollow statue is eight inches to three feet thick. The interior is accessible through a door at the base, although visitors are currently not allowed inside the statue. The outer surface composed of

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

, pink

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

chips and screenings is three inches thick.

Interpretation

At the dedication of the statue on July 1, 1911, Taft said that in the evenings he and members of the

walked along the bluff and would often stop at the statue's location to enjoy the view from the bluff. Contemplation became habitual, arms folded, restful and reverent. Black Hawk came from that contemplative mood and attitude. The tall monolith, towering over the river, suggests an unconquered spirit through its composition blending

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, Sauk, Sioux and

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...

cultures. Taft said the statue was inspired by the Sauk leader Black Hawk, although it is not a likeness of the chief.Staff. "Red Man's Statue Unveiled",
ProQuest
,''Chicago Daily Tribune'', July 2, 1911. Retrieved 4 November 2007

National Register listing

On November 5, 2009, the Black Hawk Statue was added to the U.S.

. The listing may allow the statue access to federal funding for repairs on cracks that naturally appear in its concrete surface.Wells, Vinde.
Black Hawk statue earns historic status
, ''Ogle County News'', November 25, 2009.

Restoration

Most recently, the statue restoration was completed and unwrapped in January of 2020, costing just under $250,000 to restore. The statue was in need of restoration as some of the concrete had worn away. Plans had been made by Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Committee to begin restoration work in Spring 2014. Although delayed, resumed physical integrity tests and restoration restarted in Summer 2015. Efforts to restore the statue had been halted due to a dispute between the project manager and the conservator working on the statue. From June 2016 until June 1, 2018, the Black Hawk statue was wrapped with black tarp and ropes while it languished without further restoration. The

Illinois Department of Natural Resources The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is the code department of the Illinois state government that operates the state parks and state recreation areas, enforces the fishing and game laws of Illinois, regulates Illinois coal mines, ...

, owner of the statue, had no legislated funding for the project and could not proceed. In October 2017, concerned citizens organized as the Black Hawk Restoration committee. Several on the committee were on the original Friends of Black Hawk Group. It was their intention to invite IDNR to speak to the community of Oregon, Illinois, but they declined. Eventually, a meeting was held between the committee and the IDNR staff. It was agreed on March 28, 2018, that IDNR would remove the wrapping and the Black Hawk Restoration Committee would begin fundraising. On June 1, 2018, the wrapping was removed from the statue. On May 10, 2018, the Legislature of the State of Illinois passed a capital budget which funded a grant of $350,000 to IDNR. It was estimated that further repairs could cost up to $660,000. and that the grant to IDNR required matching funds from the public sector. The Black Hawk Restoration Committee agreed to take on the task. As of November 2018, nearly $600,000 had been raised, with plans for completing the restoration by August 2019. The statue was again covered with a protective wrapping. As of December 2019 the restoration was nearly complete.

References

External links

* he https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020830/http://www.oregonil.com/scupture-trail.html City of Oregon, IL Trail of Statuesbr>Lorado Taft's Indian Statue Photos of the Blackhawk Sculpture and environs Available Fine Art Prints for the restoration of the statue
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