Lorado Taft sculpted this bronzed plaster cast in 1928. The original statue is in Central Park at Elmwood, IL. Taft sculpted this statue as a gift to the city of his birth. The statue depicts the strength of the pioneer family and is inscribed: "To the Pioneers/ Who Bridged the streams/ Subdued the soil and/ Founded a State." It was purchased in 1937. The statue is located at the south entrance of the library.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign