Madonna of the Trail
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member leadhiker
N 34° 07.991 W 109° 17.106
12S E 658128 N 3778251
This 10 foot high, 5 ton statue cast by St. Louis sculptor August Leimbach is one of 12 identical monuments to the bold spirit of the pioneers erected in 1928-29 along the National Old Trails Road from Maryland to California.
Waymark Code: WMBNNN
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 06/06/2011
Views: 11

Regarding Madonna of the Trail:
Memorializing pioneer mothers “who carried the hopes and dreams of civilization with them as they journeyed westward with their families into a harsh and unknown land….,” The Madonnas of the Trail were the creation of Harry S.Truman and The Daughters of the American Revolution to honor pioneer women and to commemorate the Old National Trails Road. They placed twelve monuments at historically significant points along the roads in Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

This Madonna was dedicated September 28, 1928. The honor of unveiling the monument went to Eliza Rudd, possibly the sculptor's model, a pioneer mother who had arrived in Round Valley on August 1, 1876 by wagon train with her husband and eight children. The honored speakers were Arizona Governor George W.P. Hunt and Harry S. Truman, then a judge in Missouri and President of the National Old Trails Road Association.

The monument was moved from the Post Office property to its present location across the street in 1987 and was re-dedicated by the D.A.R. in 1998.
Marker Name: Madonna of the Trail

Type of history commemorated: Person

County: Apache

Name of any agency/ agencies setting marker:
Round Valley Positive Action Tourism Committee and Springerville-Eagar Chamber of Commerce. Monument by Daughters of the American Revolution (1928)


Year placed: 2002

Visit Instructions:
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Recent Visits/Logs:
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Muskoka Pearl visited Madonna of the Trail 03/24/2023 Muskoka Pearl visited it
T2D visited Madonna of the Trail 05/19/2022 T2D visited it
Mrntz visited Madonna of the Trail 09/11/2012 Mrntz visited it

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