"Ranchero" Sculpture - Pomona, CA - Outside Wooden Display Carvings on Waymarking.com

“Ranchero” Sculpture – Pomona, CA

“Ranchero” is carved from a single Sequoia log.
It’s 22 feet tall and weighs 17 ½ tons.

The plaque on the base reads:
“Ranchero” by John Edward Svenson
Sequoia Sempervirens
Donated Through The Courtesy Of The Board Of Supervisors
And Vincent Locatelli Of Santa Cruz County 1953


The following Information is displayed near the sculpture:
In 1953 the Los Angeles County Fair commissioned local sculptor, John Svenson, to carve a “monumental statue” for the fairgrounds. Svenson responded with a design reflecting the history of the land – the figure of a determined Ranchero surveying his newly acquired land grant.
Opening day if the fair 1953 found John Svenson debarking the huge log. Over the next 17 days, as the sculpture began to take shape, thousands of fairgoers visited the “Sculptor-at-Work” exhibit. People who had never seen a redwood marveled at the giant log, and many collected wood chips as souvenirs – several securing Svenson’s autograph on theirs. The sculpture was far from complete when the fair ended, and Svenson continued carving over the next year.
By opening day of the Fair in 1954, John Svenson’s “Ranchero,” the largest redwood sculpture of the period, gazed proudly over the fairgrounds.

Type of wood carving: Folk art Artist's Name: John Svenson Approximate size/height: 22 Feet Tall Other type: Not listed Type of wood: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
All logs must be the result of an actual visit to the wooden carving.
"Visited" only remarks will not be accepted.

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