The Indian by Arthur Putnam- San Diego, California - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

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"The Indian
On the grounds of the original San Diego Presidio in Presidio Park stands an imposing, nine-foot statue depicting one of the aboriginal inhabitants of the North American continent. Although somewhat fanciful in its rendering, the statue is representative of the California Indians in general. It was executed in bronze, between 1904 and 1911 at E. W. Scripps' Miramar ranch. Today the Indian stands on a concrete pedestal, casting a stoic glance to one side, as he keeps a silent, lonely vigil over his ancient home of Cosoy.

While in San Francisco at the turn of the century, Edward Wyllis Scripps, San Diego newspaperman, saw some pieces of sculpture by a young man named Arthur Putnam. He was impressed by what he saw, and in 1901 invited Putnam to visit his estate at Miramar, near San Diego. In the next decade, Scripps was to be Putnam's foremost patron.

Scripps had been contemplating a project for some time, in which he would commission a series of large statues to depict California history. It was Putnam's free, forthright, and realistic style which impressed Scripps. As a result, the artist was given a shed back of the house at Miramar in which to work. He was to create a series of five bronze figures representing the different peoples who had played an important role in our history. The first was to be the Indian, the first inhabitant of the area. The second figure was to be a "Spanish Padre," representative of the initial explorations and settlements. This was also done, as was the third of the series, a "Mexican Ranchero on Horseback." The fourth, a military person, was never started. "The Ploughman" was the last of the series, and is soon to be erected under a Torrey Pine, in front of the Director's Office at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

In 1933, Robert P. Scripps arranged for several of the statues to be moved from Miramar so that they might be viewed by the public. Through the courtesy of the Scripps Foundation, both the Indian and the Padre now grace the lawns of the Serra Museum in Presidio Park. They remain today, a tribute to the artistry of Arthur Putnam."

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: The Indian Figure Type: Human Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Arthur Putnam Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 1933 Materials used: Bronze Location: Presidio Park in San Diego

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/12/2014 DopeyDuck visited it 08/08/2011 Metro2 wrote comment for it 12/31/2010 brwhiz visited it 02/12/2010 TopSnipe42 visited it 10/02/2009 Metro2 visited it

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