Madonna of the Trail - Route 66 - Upland, California, USA.
N 34° 06.436 W 117° 39.067
11S E 439945 N 3774240
A monument to 'The National Road' features a stone sculpture of a Female, holding 2 children. One of 12 similar sculptures, placed alongside old trails & roads, by Daughters of the American Revolution. located in Uplands, California.
Waymark Code: WMN4J0
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/26/2014
Views: 8
Madonna of the Trail, 'The National Road' trail marker stands alongside, what is now another Historic Trail - Route 66.
The Upland monument is said to represent four historic trails: the Mojave Trail, the de Anza Trail, the Emigrant Trail, and the Canyon Road. The Monument was placed in 1929 alongside Route 66 which was commissioned in 1926.
From The California State parks Web Site:
"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) (Historic Marker #1028)
From Wikipedia:
"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)
Information Below from the Smithsonian Web site: (
visit link)
TITLE: Madonna of the Trail.
ARTIST(S): Leimbach, Auguste.
DATE: Feb. 1, 1929.
MEDIUM: algonite.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS CA000567.
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Junction of E. Foothills Bvld & N Euclid Ave, Upland, CA