:''This is about the sculpture in Visalia, California. For the same-named sculptures elsewhere, see Pioneer (disambiguation).'' ''The Pioneer'' in

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-most populous city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 38th most populous in California, and 183 ...

was a sculpture by Solon H. Borglum that was first displayed at the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

, a

world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1915. It was obtained by Visalia for $150, the cost of shipping it from San Francisco. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1977. From 1916 to 1980, it was located in Mooney Grove Park, at 27000 South Mooney Boulevard, in Visalia. It was toppled by an earthquake in 1980 and destroyed; its internal metal had rusted away. Only the base remains. However, it remains listed on the National Register.

References

External links

National Register of Historic Places in Tulare County: ''The Pioneer''
a Noehill Travels website
Photo of sculpture
from 1922 or 1924 Buildings and structures demolished in 1980 Destroyed sculptures Equestrian statues in California Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Tulare County, California Panama–Pacific International Exposition Works about human migration World's fair sculptures {{TulareCountyCA-NRHP-stub