"A 30 foot tall statue of Johnny Kaw, the Pioneer Kansas Wheat farmer, stands in the Manhattan City Park. The statue was constructed in 1966, eleven years after the Manhattan Centennial celebration that inspired George Filinger to write the story of Johnny Kaw.
"The 1955 centennial committee had trouble getting people and the media interested in Kansas history. Filinger, a professor of horticulture at Kansas State University, believed that a tall tale character might spark interest. He created Johnny Kaw to be Kansas' answer to other heroes like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill.
"Johnny created the Kansas landscape, geography and pioneer trails. He dug the Kaw River Valley, planted wheat, invented sunflowers, and grew giant potatoes. Johnny even controlled the weather, lopping the funnels off tornadoes and wringing out the clouds to end droughts. His pets were the wildcat and the Jayhawk, who, though fast friends, enjoyed a good scrap now and then. The result of their fights was the Dust Bowl.
"Johnny didn't take kindly to Paul Bunyan tromping down his wheat so he had quite a fight with the other big fellow and used his nose to plow the Mississippi River Bed. He even went west and helped Finn McCool dig the Grand Canyon and then piled up the rubble to form the Rocky Mountains.
"Filinger had a fine tall tale imagination and his stories captured the interest of people across the state. Johnny was intended to be a Kansas figure, not simply a local Manhattan one, and he was careful to include as much of Kansas as he could.
"George Filinger worked hard to promote the statue's construction and donated a large share of the money required. Dr. E. J. Frick and the Park Board, and the Community Johnny Kaw Boosters (Frank Anneberg, C.C. Brewer, Bill Colvin, Dave Dallas, Bill Farrell, Lud Fiser, Jack Goldstein, Lowell Jack, O.W. Kershaw, Hurst Majors, and J. Robert Wilson) were instrumental in furthering the project. It cost approximately $7,000 and was erected at no cost to the city, though it far exceeded construction cost estimates of $3,000-3,500. The group hoped that the statue would establish Johnny Kaw as a local legend and prove to be a tourist attraction.
"The statue is constructed of concrete over a steel beam framework. The design was intended to withstand wind and weather and be easy to maintain. Photos of the construction are included in the second edition of Filinger's book and were featured in newspaper articles at the time. Two local businessmen donated the steel and concrete; other businesses gave materials or reduced bills, and donations were solicited to pay for construction. Those interested could join a Johnny Kaw Club and receive a membership for just $1.00.
"The statue was completed and dedicated in May 1966."
-- Source
This larger than life statue of Johnny Kaw is located adjacent to a children's playground in the park. He proudly stands with his feet planted shoulder length apart and his hands are resting on a cradle scythe. He's wearing a reddish-brown, short-sleeved shirt with a yellow vest over it. He's also wearing reddish-brown pants. He has on a pair of black boots and a black belt with a yellow belt buckle with the letter "K" painted on it in black. The cradle scythe handle and the cradle (the long, finger-like prongs attached to the cutting edge of the scythe to catch cut stalks of grain as they fall from the blade) are painted yellow, while the blade is painted black. Johnny's skin and hair are also painted yellow.