Hopes and Dreams - Perry, OK - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

On the plaza in front of the Noble County Courthouse, a beautiful 3-story stone and brick building constructed in 1915, sits an equally impressive sculpture entitled "Hopes and Dreams."

Created by local sculptor Bill Bennett and placed there on a massive granite pedestal as a Cherokee Strip Centennial memorial costing approximately $250,000, "Hopes and Dreams" portrays an early-day couple coming to the newly opened western frontier.

As you stand before this massive depiction of a man urging his horses in an all-out race to claim land in the newly opened Oklahoma Territory, with his pioneer wife hanging on tight next to him, you can almost hear the sounds of that day. Shouts, hoofbeats, and wagon wheels clamoring over the rough terrain. The action in this sculpture is breathtaking. You want to step aside and not get trampled.

This centennial monument, erected in 1993, honors those who rode on September 16, 1893, with hopes and dreams in their heart to find a new life in this land.

The costs for this sculpture were fully covered by donations from people around the County, and there are engraved bricks in the plaza paving. "The entire plaza is an all-Oklahoma project. Bill Bennett, the artist grew up in Perry; granite from Oklahoma provided the base; a state foundry did the bronze casting; Oklahoma paving stones cover the plaza area. The models were two young Perry residents, Stephanie Rupp and Rusty Davis." [ Source: Leisure and Sports Review]

[As described on the Smithsonian Art Inventory website:]
Medium: Sculpture: bronze; Base: Oklahoma red granite.

Dimensions: Sculpture: approx. H. 7 ft. 7 in. x W. 6 ft. 6 in. x L. 10 ft.; Base: approx. H. 8 ft. 9 in. x W. 12 ft. x L. 18 ft.

Inscription: (On the lower right of the back of the wagon seat:) B. BENNETT (artist's monogram) (copyright symbol) 93 (On the lower left of the back of the wagon seat:) THE BRONZE HORSE (On back of lower base, right side:) GRANITE WORK BY/WILLIS GRANITE PRODUCTS INC/GRANITE OK 73547

(On plaque on front of lower base, left side, raised letters:) (left side) HOPES AND DREAMS/This sculpture and the plaza surrounding it are/dedicated to the honor of all the stalwart men and/women who took part in the greatest land rush of/all time - the celebrated Cherokee Strip run, held/on September 16th, 1893./Perry and Noble County are in the heartland of/that historic area, and this dedication is made/on the occasion of the centennial year of the/great run./In this plaza, the sculpture symbolizes all of/the hopes and dreams of our founders. It shows/us only a man and a woman, whose offspring we/are. The rest of the story is left to your own/imagination. Who are they; where were they from;/where were they going; what kind of wagon was it;/what were this couple's real hopes and dreams?/These details are left to your own fancy./This we know: Those hardy pioneers brought with/them a steadfast faith in God and because they did,
(On plaque on front of lower base, right side, raised letters:) we have a spiritual legacy that makes this a better/place in which to live./ Engraved in this base are names of organizations,/businesses, individuals and good citizens whose/generous support made this sculpture possible./The entire plaza is an all-Oklahoma project./Bill Bennett, the artist, grew up in Perry; granite/from Oklahoma provides the base; a state foundry/did the bronze casting; & Oklahoma paving stones/cover the plaza area. The models were two young/Perry residents, Stephanie Rupp and Rusty Davis./Project committee members were Bill Haynes,/Fred Beers, Kaye Bond, Mickey Brown, Dewey Dailey,/Bill Gengler, Jim Lemon, Dr. Charles Martin, Duane/Palovik, Anna Lou Randall, Ken Schuermann and/Karen Wilcox./The statue concept began in the fall of 1991./A year later, the original 20-inch tall wax model/was shown; full scale heroic clay model was ready/in March 1993; and formal unveiling was exactly 100/years after the 1893 opening of the Cherokee Strip.
(On centennial seal in the middle of the plaque:) 1893 CHEROKEE STRIP 1993/CENTENNIAL/PERRY/OK (On front of lower base, incised letters:) PIONEER/(List of names)/HOMESTEADER/(List of names) (On back of lower base, incised letters:) FRONTIERSMAN/(List of names)/CLAIM STAKER/(List of names)/BOOMER/(List of names) signed Founder's mark appears.

Description: A sculpture depicting a pioneer man and woman making the 1893 land run. The two figures sit on a wagon seat, their hair and clothing whipped back by the wind. Only the front seat of the wagon is depicted. The man, dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, cowboy hat, a long sleeved shirt, suspenders and a jacket, leans forward driving an unseen team of horses. He holds the horses' reins in his hands and his mouth open. The woman, seated next to him on his proper left, is dressed in a long-sleeved dress. She leans back with her proper right arm on the man's back and her proper left arm holding onto the side of the wagon seat. Her bonnet has blown off her head and rests on the back. The sculpture is placed atop a two-part base. The upper section of the base is made of rough granite and the lower section is made of polished granite which is heavily inscribed. The sculpture is placed within a plaza composed of over 8,000 red bricks, 2,100 of which are inscribed with the names of donors.

TITLE: Hopes and Dreams ARTIST(S): Bill Bennett DATE: 1993 MEDIUM: Bronze with red granite base CONTROL NUMBER: IAS OK000169 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: 300 Courthouse Drive Perry, OK 73077 On the plaza in front of the Noble County Courthouse on the town square DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: No differences noted

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