Madonna of the Trail - Wheeling WV
Posted by: nomadwillie
N 40° 03.345 W 080° 40.156
17T E 528208 N 4433997
One of 12 statues located along US 40.
Waymark Code: WMV25M
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 02/11/2017
Views: 3
Madonna of the Trail is a series of 12 monuments dedicated to the spirit of pioneer women in the United States. The monuments were commissioned by the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). They were installed in each of the 12 states along the National Old Trails Road, which extended from Cumberland, Maryland, to Upland, California.
The statues feature a pioneer woman clasping a baby with her left arm while clutching a rifle with her right. Her young son clings to her skirts. The figure stands ten feet high and weighs five tons. The figure and the base are made of algonite stone (a poured mass) of which Missouri granite is used as the main aggregate. The monument has a warm, pink shade. With the base, the monuments are about 18 feet (5.5 m) high. The inscriptions on the east and west sides of each base are the same, but the north and south sides of each monument usually include local information as well.
Source: (
visit link)