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email: roadarch@outlook.com |
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| Indian Statues (page 3) |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Palacine Oil Indian Bartlesville, OK |
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| This Palacine Oil Indian statue was installed at Woolaroc Ranch in 1935. Frank Phillips of Phillips 66 fame bought four of these statues for his ranch. I believe there are still two others on the property. Other than the ones in Caddo Gap and Ballinger described below, I don't know of any other statues like this that still exist. They were mass-produced in the 1920s and 1930s by the Palacine Oil Company for their Wirt-Franklin gas stations in Oklahoma. The statues are made of cast zinc-alloy and are about 11 feet tall. There were at least 18 of them produced. The faux rock bases were inscribed with the words "A Friend". For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Palacine Oil Indian Caddo Gap, AR |
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| This Palacine Oil Indian statue was installed here around 1937. It was installed to commemorate the battle of the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his men with the Tula Indian tribe. De Soto was forced to retreat. Later, it was determined that this battle took place about 40 miles away from Caddo Gap. I can't find any books or websites about Arkansas history, where there is a mention of this being a Palacine Oil statue. One website mentions that the statue was brought to Caddo Gap by attorney Osro Cobb. Some websites say that the statue was in bad repair by 1979 and that it was restored in 1980 and dedicated by Bill Clinton. Elsewhere, it is mentioned that the copper and stone statue had blown over in a storm in 1988 and replaced then with the current bronze statue. Guy Tillman is credited with sculpting the replacement. Despite all the disagreement about dates, it's clear that the original statue originally advertised for Palacine Oil. [map] |
| Palacine Oil Indian Ballinger, TX |
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| Indian Ballinger, TX |
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| This Palacine Oil Indian statue was installed in Ballinger City Park in 1939. At some point, the faux rock base was replaced with a real one. The statue was damaged and dumped in a creek in the late 1950s and never recovered. In 2008, Cinnamon Carter began researching the history of the statue with her sixth grade class. This led to fundraising and commissioning a replacement statue. In 2010, a Palacine Oil Indian statue was discovered in Duncan, OK and donated to Carter. It is now in storage at Higginbotham Brothers hardware store. It is hoped that the statue's intact legs can be freed somehow from the concrete inside the barrel. The new bronze statue was installed in the park in 2012. It was created by Hugh Campbell III. For more, see this website. [map] |
| Big Indian Kingsport, TN |
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| The Big Indian statue was built in 1954 for "Honest John's Trading Post". The nearly 26-foot-tall Indian was built by the owner, John Barker aka "Honest John". It was created from lumber, wire mesh, stucco, sand, cement, and fiberglass. Including the base and the 48-inch-tall feather, the statue is about 33 feet tall. In the late 1950s, the business and statue were moved to Stone Drive, the new main highway. In addition to the gift shop, Honest John's now featured a restaurant and gas station. Since 1971, the building has housed Pratt's Bar-B-Que. In 2018, the statue's head bent forward into his chest. The head was replicated by Mark Cline. Big John was given a full headdress instead of the feathers and Mohawk. The original head was restored and is displayed inside the restaurant. [first photo from 1950s at Honest John's thanks Robby Delius] For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map] |
| Indian Archer Champaign, IL |
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| This Indian Archer, aka The Chief, was originally located in Danville, IL. The 17-foot-tall copper statue was built in 1949 for Herb Drew's Plumbing & Heating (1, 2). When the business closed in 1994, the owner's grandson moved the Indian here to the Curtis Apple Orchard. The statue represents Kesis, a famous Kickapoo Indian from Illinois. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Indian Poplar Bluff, MO |
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| This Indian statue originally stood in front of the Big Chief Trading Post. These photos are from 2010. The statue was restored around 2017. [map] |
| Indian Dallas, SD |
Chief Tseul-Ted Sultan, WA |
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The Indian statue in Dallas represents the Teton Sioux Indian Chiefs of the Lakota Territory. It was installed in front of Frank Day's bar by 2015. [map] This 13-foot-tall statue of Chief Tseul-Ted, also known as Sultan John, was created by Jerry Dwayne Carter in the 1980s. The local tribal Chief died in 1906. The statue is made of sawdust and resin and was installed in River Park. He holds a spear in one hand and a salmon in the other. Around 2018, the statue was moved into storage while a pedestrian and bicycle bridge was being built on the property. The statue has been restored and is now located next to the highway and the pedestrian bridge. [map] |
| Chief Red Robe Thief River Falls, MN |
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This fiberglass statue of Chief Red Robe was created by Creative Display and installed in 1976. Although the clothing was an accurate representation, the face does not resemble Red Robe. For more, see this website. [map]
The mold for the Red Robe statue was used to produce other statues like those shown below. |
| Indian [gone] Franklin, KY |
Indian Calumet, OK |
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| Indian [gone] Gallup, NM |
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The Indian in Franklin was located in front of Dixie Discount at the Kentucky and Tennessee state line. This photo is from 2007. The statue was toppled in a storm in 2012 and removed.
The Indian in Calumet is installed in front of the Cherokee Trading Post Restaurant. It has been there since at least 2008. The business opened in the mid-1960s so the statue has probably been there much longer. [map] The Indian in Gallup stands in front of the Navajo Travel Plaza. In 2018, the statue was knocked over by strong winds and has been gone since then. |
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More Chief Red Robes:
Thunderbird Motel (Bloomington, MN) [gone] Tupelo Buffalo Park (Tupelo, MS) Leather Outlet (Lake George, NY) Loretta Lynn Ranch (Hurricane Mills, TN) |
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Indians (page 1) |
Indians (page 2) |
Indians (page 4) |
Statues Main Page |
| RoadsideArchitecture.com |
Copyright. All photos at this website are copyrighted and may only be used with my consent. This includes posting them at Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, other websites, personal use, etc. Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com. |