Name/Title
Letter for ordering 9" End of the Trail statueScope and Content
Letter pertaining to order of 9" "End of the Trail" statue, dated April 12, 1985.
Waupun Historical Society
April 12, 1985
The New England Collectors Society
237 Saw Mill Road
P.O. Box 414
West Haven, Connecticut 06516
Gentlemen:
Enclosed is our order for a nine-inch "End of the Trail" statue crafted in cold-cast bronze.
We, the Waupun Historical Society, as Curators of the Waupun Heritage Museum, are anxious to obtain the nine-inch "End of the Trail" statue for display in our Museum.
Waupun is the site of the original larger-than-life bronze casting "End of the Trail" by James Earle Fraser. Waupun's multi-millionaire Clarence Shaler (1860-1941) commissioned Fraser for the bronze casting and presented it to the City of Waupun. Shaler had viewed Fraser's plaster "End of the Trail" at the 1914 San Fransico Exposition. In it he saw all of his own feelings, his sympathy and childhood memories of the American Indian.
In 1926 Fraser informed Shaler he wanted two years in which to finish the bronze statue, but would come to Waupun before starting on the large figure so as to see the location and know just the right size to make it. At that time Fraser said, "It ought to face south - all statues North of the equator should face south." He approved the selected site by the Dam of the Rock River in the north side of the city. At that time the statue cost $50,000. Formal unveiling took place June 23, 1929 in Shaler Park.
As you can see, the City of Waupun has adopted "The end of the Trail" statue as it's lobo. Our bronze statue has been listed on the National Register of Historic places for some years.
Any correspondence regarding our order, please send to: Mrs. Leona Nagler, President, Waupun Historical Society, 114 East Franklin Street, Waupun,W1. 53963
Sincerely,
Mrs. Thelma Kaiser, Treasurer
Waupun Historical SocietyAcquisition
Accession
2015.0005Source or Donor
Waupun Heritage MuseumAcquisition Method
Found in Collection