Guard of the Plains - Paxico, KS - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Guard of The Plains, which stands about 22' high, is set on a hilltop at the west edge of a rest area between the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-70. An unpaved trail leads from the rest area up to the statue. Sculptor James Kirby "Jim" Johnson created this work as part of his graduate degree in sculpture, then donated the statue to the State of Kansas. The statue languished for about a decade (the wheels of government grind slowly) and was then set in this location in 1970. The sculpture represents the many windills that keep the arid Kansas plains watered for crops and livestock. It is well worth the short hike to visit this fine sculpture.

TITLE: Guard of the Plains ARTIST(S): James Kirby Johnson DATE: 1/1/1960 MEDIUM: Cor-Ten Steel CONTROL NUMBER: IAS KS000455 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Rest Area, I-70, 3 miles east of Paxico, KS DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: The description gives some history of the sculpture, such as the year it was created. The plaque at the sculpture itself is dated ten years later, as that is when the sculpture was set at this location.

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