The Pioneers - Elmwood, IL - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

Inscription: (Base:) TO THE PIONEERS/ WHO BRIDGED THE STREAMS/ SUBDUED THE SOIL AND/ FOUNDED A STATE

From Old Illinois Houses - Birthplace of a Sculptor (visit link)

"As a boy in the small L-shaped Elmwood house (now gone as I learned after trying unsuccessfully to find it while there), a plain but tastefully designed home that contained comfortable rooms lined with books, Lorado Taft was tutored by his parents and given a sound foundation for his future career. The family lived here during the Civil War years and then, when Lorado was twelve, moved to Urbana where the elder Taft became a professor of geology in the University of Illinois.

After studying at the University of Illinois, and later at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, Lorado Taft returned to his native state, established a studio in Chicago, and began the career that brought him national fame. In addition to “The Pioneers,” some of his other principal works are the “Fountain of Time” and the “Fountain of the Great Lakes” in Chicago, the “Black Hawk” statue at Oregon, Illinois, and the Lincoln statue at Urbana.

A proud moment in Lorado Taft’s life was the day in 1928 when he was present at the unveiling of “The Pioneers” in Elmwood and at a reception in his boyhood home afterward. The ten-foot bronze statuary group, conceived as a tribute to his father and mother and other Illinois pioneers, was unveiled by his daughter, Emily, now the wife of Illinois’ Senator-elect Paul H. Douglas of Chicago. The principal speaker was Taft’s brother-in-law, Hamlin Garland, the Midwest author. Lorado Taft died in 1936 (in Chicago) and his ashes were scattered over a plot of ground in Elmwood Cemetery — a spot now marked by one of his most effective sculptural pieces, “Memory.”"

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: The Pioneers Figure Type: Combination of two figure types Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Lorado Taft Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 1928 Materials used: Bronze and stone Location: Center of Central Park, a public square at Magnolia & Main in Elmwood, IL

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