''The American'' is a proposed 217 ft (66 m) bronze statue of a Native American, created by sculptor Shan Gray, and currently proposed for construction in

Sand Springs, Oklahoma Sand Springs is a city in Osage, Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A western suburb of Tulsa, it is located predominantly in Tulsa County. The population was 19,874 in the 2020 U. S. Census, an increase of 5.1 percent from ...

, near

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. The statue was originally proposed to be built at Holmes Peak in southeastern Osage County, located about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of downtown Tulsa and the highest point in the immediate region with an altitude of 1030 ft (314 m). The site was adjacent to the grounds of Tulsa's Centennial Botanical Garden (now called the Tulsa Botanic Garden). According to the proposal, ''The American'', designed in the image of an American Indian brave with a bald eagle on his shoulder, will rise 60 ft (20 m) taller than the Statue of Liberty, and will be the largest bronze statue in the world with an interior observation deck. The eagle will have an 82 ft (25 m)

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

. Gray, who is Osage, and has built a career on large-scale sculptures of Oklahoman sports figures such as

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

pitcher Allie "Superchief" Reynolds and Heisman trophy winner

Billy Vessels Billy Dale Vessels (March 22, 1931 – November 17, 2001) was a gridiron football player. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy in 1952. Vessels went on to play professional football with the Nati ...

, conceived ''The American'' as an entry for a contest to design a statue for the dome of the

Oklahoma State Capitol The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City and contains 452,5 ...

, which was added to the building in 2001. Initially intended for the outskirts of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, the Tulsa location was selected after investor disinterest. The design was enlarged for the landmark Holmes Peak site and for visitor access, and will include a visitor center and other amenities and underground access to the statue, rather than directly at the base, to preserve the natural setting. According to a statement by developers in Spring 2007, the project was anticipated to break ground in late 2007 and be completed in 2011. It was originally intended for the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma's admission as a

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

in 1907. However, as of 2016, the project remained unbuilt. In April 2011, the Osage Nation appropriated $2.5 million as a potential contribution toward the project, but the tribe's investment entity then decided not to accept the appropriation. In 2012, it was reported that the city of Sand Springs was working with Gray to build the statue, possibly at a different location within the city limits of Sand Springs, and in June 2013, the city council approved funding for an engineering study. ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' wrote about the project in August 2013 and noted the project would fit in with two existing large scale sculptures in Tulsa: the ''Praying Hands'' on the campus of Oral Roberts University and the '' Golden Driller'' at the Tulsa Expo Center.Miguel Bustillo
"In Oklahoma, Sculptor Has High Hopes for 'The American'. Native Warrior Would Tower Over Statue of Liberty; Tall Order for a Small Town."
''

'', August 27, 2013.

References

External links

''The American'' official website

Native statue represents ideas
-

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Daily O'Collegian ''The O'Colly'', formerly ''The Daily O'Collegian'', is the student-run newspaper at Oklahoma State University. ''The O'Colly'' is published every weekday and distributed for free to OSU students at various points around the campus in Stillwater. ...

''
Tulsa anticipates "The American" becoming a main tourist attraction
- City of Tulsa
Largest free standing bronze statue may be built in TulsaInvestors raise $1 million toward statue
{{DEFAULTSORT:American, The Monuments and memorials in Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Osage County, Oklahoma Bronze sculptures in Oklahoma Outdoor sculptures in Oklahoma Proposed monuments and memorials in the United States Colossal statues in the United States Statues in Oklahoma Sculptures of Native Americans

See also

References

External links