The Smoke Signal
Posted by: 
NevaP
N 40° 46.515 W 096° 45.738
14T E 688838 N 4516217
A poured cement sculpture created in 1935 for Pioneer Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Waymark Code: WM1Q0Y
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 06/20/2007
Views: 64
The Smoke Signal has been a Lincoln Landmark for over 70 years. In 1934, Ellis Burman, an Omaha sculptor received funding from the Works Progress Administration Program to create a sculpture for Lincoln's new Pioneer Park. Working in an unheated vacant building at the state fairgrounds he formed a 15 foot clay model of a Native American, pulling a blanket away from a fire, to produce a smoke signal. A mold was made and reassembled at the park site. Cement was poured into the mold and was colored with red oxide to give it a bronze color. The completed sculpture weighs 5 tons.
The sculpture is a memorial for Nebraska Native American tribes. Its dedication in 1935 was attended by over 100 native Americans, including chiefs from the Omaha, Winnebago, Sioux, and Ponca Tribes, who in full dress sat on their horses atop the hillside facing the setting sun.
Burman created several other Lincoln Sculptures and then went to California where he became a very successful Hollywood special effects sculptor.
Project type: Sculpture/Statue
Date built or created: 1934-1935
Location: Pioneer Park
City: Lincoln, Nebraska
Condition: Good upkeep with a little wear and tear
Website for additional information: [Web Link]
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