Enlarged photos of the Native American's head and other details of the artwork were created to ensure the statue was restored to its original appearance. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum removed six layers of paint and closed fissures in the body of the horse. Restoration Īs a result of being outdoors for decades, the 1915 plaster version had deteriorated significantly. The exchange was made, in part, because the statue was in poor condition with large surface cracks, and Tulare Country was unable to accumulate the funds to preserve it. Some residents of Visalia and art professionals felt that statue should remain where it had been for the past 50 years. Associates of the museum made an agreement with Tulare Country that the 1915 plaster version could be transferred to the museum, which would supply a replica to Mooney Grove Park. The museum considered it imperative to feature Fraser's most renowned work, End of the Trail. Īfter Fraser's death in 1953, plans were in motion to create a Fraser Memorial Studio in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Fraser was unaware of the statue's location until 1922. The Tulare County Forestry Board purchased and rescued the statue in 1919, transporting it to Mooney Grove Park in Visalia, California, where it was placed near other notable sculptures such as Pioneer by Solon Borglum. The plaster monument was thrown in a mud pit in Marina Park, along with other works from the Exposition. Location Īfter the Panama–Pacific Exposition closed, plans to place a bronze version of the statue on the Pacific Palisades were halted due to scarce resources during World War I. This large plaster version of the work was displayed on an eight-foot pedestal at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco and was awarded the gold medal, garnering national attention. With the assistance of his wife, Laura Gardin Fraser, he created a two-and-a-half-times life-size model of the statue in plaster. Over the years, Fraser created several renditions of the model, trying to perfect it. The original model was exhibited at a competition sponsored by the American Art Association, winning first place. The design was inspired by a piece of art Fraser saw at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. Design and construction Plaster sculpture of End of the Trail exhibited at the Panama–Pacific International Expositionįraser created the first model of End of the Trail in 1894 at the age of 17. Another work by Fraser devoted to Native Americans is called The Buffalo Prayer. Asked to create something uniquely American, Fraser thought the buffalo and American Indian were integral parts of American culture and history. His design for the Buffalo-Indian Head nickel appeared on the five cent coin from 1913 to 1938. His memoirs state, "as a boy, I remembered an old Dakota trapper saying, 'The Indians will someday be pushed into the Pacific Ocean.'" Later he stated "the idea occurred to me of making an Indian which represented his race reaching the end of the trail, at the edge of the Pacific." įraser made several other works related to Native Americans. Background įraser took inspiration for End of the Trail from his experiences as a boy in the Dakota Territory. However, Fraser intended for the work to be a critique of the United States government. The work has been criticized for the manner in which is depicts Native Americans as a dying race. The 1915 version of the statue is now in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum. The sculpture gained national popularity after being presented at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition. įraser felt a connection to Native American culture, which influenced the creation of the End of the Trail. The main figure embodies the suffering and exhaustion of people driven from their native lands. The statue is a commentary on the damage Euro-American settlement inflicted upon Native Americans. The man in the statue is based on Seneca Chief John Big Tree, and the horse was adapted from one in another work, In the Wind. The wind blowing the horse's tail suggests they have their backs to the wind. He is hanging limp as his weary horse with swollen eyes comes to the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The sculpture depicts a weary Native American man, wearing only the remains of a blanket and carrying a spear. Fraser created the original version of the work in 1894, and he subsequently produced numerous replicas in both plaster and bronze. The End of the Trail is a sculpture by James Earle Fraser.
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