Madonna of the Trail - Upland, California, USA. - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

Madonna of the Trail, stands alongside Historic Route 66 Trail.
The Upland monument is said to represent four historic trails: the Mojave Trail, the de Anza Trail, the Emigrant Trail, and the Canyon Road. When the Monument was planned in 1911 Route 66 never existed. Route 66 was commissioned in 1926.

From the Smithsonian Web Site:
"A full-length standing female figure, dressed in pioneer clothing, with long, shin-length dress, laced boots, a sunbonnet with flowers, and a scarf tied around her neck. In the crook of her proper left arm, she holds an infant wearing a short-sleeved shirt and lightly wrapped in a blanket. In her proper right hand is the top of the barrel of a rifle, the butt of which rests on the ground at her side. She appears to be using the rifle as a walking stick. On her proper right is a young boy, walking while holding on to his mother's dress. He wears a short-sleeved shirt, knee pants, suspenders, and calf-high boots. On the plinth at the figures' feet is a bed of prickly pear cactus and large leaves. The sculpture rests on a square base with inscriptions on four sides." Text Source: (visit link)

"In 1911, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) established a national committee known as the National Old Trails Road Committee. It worked to establish the Old Trails Road as a great National Memorial Highway. In 1912 the National Old Trails Road Association was organized, and the roadway became known as the National Old Trails Road. The group wanted to recognize the contributions of women with a statue to be erected in each of the twelve states connected by the National Road. The committee chair, Judge (and future U.S. president) Harry S. Truman, guaranteed the expense of the erection of the monuments. A design was completed in 1927.
"They [the women] were just as brave or braver than their men because, in many cases, they went with sad hearts and trembling bodies. They went, however, and endured every hardship that befalls a pioneer." Harry S. Truman at the Ohio dedication ceremony." text Source: (visit link)

"NO. 1028 MADONNA OF THE TRAIL - Dedicated in 1929, the Madonna of the Trail is one of twelve identical statues placed in twelve states by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The statues, differentiated by the inscriptions on their bases, commemorate the westward move of American civilization on a series of trails, which eventually linked the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They especially pay tribute to the importance of a national highway and the role of pioneer women. The statue was designed by German-born architectural sculptor August Leimbach and inspired by a statue of Sacagawea in Portland, Oregon. The Upland monument is said to represent four historic trails: the Mojave Trail, the de Anza Trail, the Emigrant Trail, and the Canyon Road.
Location: 1100 Block of North Euclid Avenue, Upland, CA" Text Source: (visit link)

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Madonna of the Trail Figure Type: Human Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: August Leimbach Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: February 1, 1929 Materials used: Stone Location: Junction of E. Foothills Bvld & N Euclid Ave, Upland, CA

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/04/2017 krasching visited it 05/26/2014 veritas vita visited it

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