''Oregon Pioneer'', also known as ''Gold Man'', is an eight-and-a-half ton

bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

with gold leaf finish that sits atop the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Created by Ulric Ellerhusen, the statue is a -tall hollow

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

. The gilded piece was installed atop the building in 1938 when a new capitol was built.

History

The "brawny woodsman", as ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine called it, was built in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

by sculptor Ulric Ellerhusen.Gilding Oregon Capitol Pioneer.
Salem, Oregon Community Guide. Retrieved on February 25, 2008. While under construction, Ellerhusen had a large door built in order to allow him to move the statue outdoors to view how it would look in natural lighting. It was finished in 1938 and shipped to

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

for installation on top of the new capitol building. The previous capitol building had burned in 1935. Shipped to Oregon via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

, the statue then traveled by rail to Salem, and then by truck to the capitol. Installation began on September 17, 1938, when the pioneer was hoisted to the top of the building as the installation took several days and was briefly delayed in order for the contractor to find heavier duty equipment to lift the heavy statue. Oregon Pioneer statue close up

Although the rotunda of the capitol that the statue rests upon was damaged in the 1993 Scotts Mills earthquake, the statue itself was unharmed even though it did shift. The Oregon Pioneer statue has been finished with a new layer of gold leaf four times in its history. First in 1939 and again in 1958 by Bob Fulton, then in 1984 by John Edwards and Roy Darby. Then in September 2000, it was re- gilded for the fourth time by Lee Littlewood, Peter McKearnan and Nancy Comstock. The 1984 re-gilding of the statue was funded by Oregon school children through a penny drive. The fundraising effort raised over $37,000. In January 2001 the Capitol stopped lighting the pioneer at night. This was to save energy during the Western Energy Crisis. Then in April 2002 solar panels were installed on the building to power the

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...

that illuminate the statue at night. These panels generate an average of 7.8 kilowatts and were the first solar panels ever installed on a state capitol. The array cost $60,000 and was purchased by

Portland General Electric Portland General Electric (PGE) is a Fortune 1000 public utility based in Portland, Oregon. It distributes electricity to customers in parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties - 44% of the inhabitants ...

using a special ratepayer financed fund dedicated to purchasing from renewable energy sources. As the solar array produces twice as much power as is needed, the additional energy is sent to the

power grid An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. It consists of:Kaplan, S. M. (2009). Smart Grid. Electrical Power ...

and is enough to power roughly one home for eight months out of the year.

Details

The statue sits above the ground on top of the Capitol's rotunda.Oregon Blue Book: Capitol Tour Web Exhibit.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on February 25, 2008. It can be reached by a 121-step

spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

that starts on the building's fourth floor. The pioneer is tall and sits on a tall marble base. The head measures six feet ten inches in circumference. Hollow inside, the bronze artwork weighs with a gold leaf finish.Oregon State Capitol Tour: Tower, Oregon Pioneer and Capitol Grounds.
Oregon Legislative Assembly. Retrieved on February 25, 2008. The gold leaf is 23K gold and must be refurbished every so often due to physical abrasion from dust (and scratches from bird claws). The pioneer depicted holds a splitting

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

in his right hand with the blade end facing the ground.Filips, Janet. A capitol idea. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

'', September 27, 1988. In the other hand is a tarp, as according to the artist the pioneer was planning on building a shelter. The pioneer also has a beard and looks to the west while facing north. The capitol conducts tours that include trips to the base of the statue.Capitol statue tours resume March 22. ''

'', March 9, 2004.

References

External links

Picture of capitol prior to the installation of the statuePicture of installation
{{Public art in Salem, Oregon 1938 establishments in Oregon 1938 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Oregon Colossal statues in the United States Gold sculptures in Oregon Outdoor sculptures in Salem, Oregon Sculptures of men in Oregon Statues in Oregon Finial figures

History

Details

See also

References

External links