1889 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Posted by: 
Max and 99
N 35° 28.066 W 097° 30.959
14S E 634649 N 3925930
Sculpture in Downtown OKC commemorating the early Oklahoma pioneers
Waymark Code: WM8XW5
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 05/28/2010
Views: 13
This sculpture of a horse and rider is located in Downtown OKC, in a courtyard filled with sculptures and fountains. The sculpture itself is on top of a tall concrete foundation, so it's a towering piece of art in the downtown area.
A boy about 10 is sitting on the horse, holding a gun. The man appears to be putting a stake in the ground. The horse is bent low, watching the man. This sculpture is located just east of two others on the Smithsonian list, and just west of another. There is a beautiful fountain on the east side of this art work.
From the Smithsonian Art Inventory database:
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. 9 ft. 5 in. x 5 ft. 9 in. x 10 ft. 6 in.; Base: approx. 7 ft. 3 in. x 6 ft. 9 in. x 10 ft. 6 in.
Inscription:
Leonard McMurry 1959 (insignia) (On west side of base on plaque, raised:) STRONG MEN AND WOMEN CAME UPON A RAW LAND/WITH VISION.../THEY SPANNED RIVERS AND PRAIRIES AND MOUNTAINS/WITH DETERMINATION.../THEY CREATED SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-FARMS-FACTORIES/THEY LIFTED GREAT BUILDINGS TO THE SKIES/THEY DRILLED DEEP WELLS INTO OIL RICH EARTH/WITH THANKFULNESS TO THEIR GOD.../THEY ARE STILL PIONEERING-STILL ACHIEVING/AND STILL EXPLORING FUTURE FRONTIERS/PASSERBY-LOOK ABOUT AND ASK THIS QUESTION/WHERE ELSE WITHIN A SINGLE LIFE SPAN/HAS MAN BUILT SO MIGHTLY/M.G.T. (Second plaque on base:) THIS STATUE COMMEMORATES THE PIONEERS OF 1889/PRESENTED TO THE '89ERS AND THE PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA/BY/MR. AND MRS. B.D. EDDIE/APRIL 22, 1960/LEONARD MCMURRY/SCULPTOR signed
Description:
Sculpture depicts two early settlers -- a young boy atop a horse and a man kneeling down beside the horse. The man holds a hatchet in his proper right hand and is about to pound a stake in the ground. The man is dressed in a brimmed hat, shirt, vest, trousers, and boot-like shoes. The young boy wears a button-down, long-sleeved shirt, trousers, and boot-like shoes. A rope and rifle hang from the horse's saddle.
Remarks:
Commemorates the Pioneers of 1889. Presented by Mr. and Mrs. B.D. Eddie.
TITLE: 1889
ARTIST(S): McMurry, Leonard, 1913- , sculptor. Roberts, Thomas, landscape architect.
DATE: 1959. Copyrighted Feb. 25, 1957. Dedicated April 22, 1960
MEDIUM: Sculpture: bronze; Base: polished granite.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS OK000115
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Downtown OKC, 200 block of Robinson and Couch
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
none
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Visit Instructions:
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