''The Circuit Rider'' is a

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 ...

Alexander Phimister Proctor Alexander Phimister Proctor (September 27, 1860 – September 5, 1950) was an American sculpture, sculptor with the contemporary reputation as one of the nation's foremost animaliers. Birth and early years Proctor was born on September 27, ...

, located in Capitol Park, east of the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 ...

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, in the United States.

Description and history

left, The statue in 1924. According to the Springfield Museum, ''The Circuit Rider'' depicts "one of Oregon's pioneer circuit-riding Methodist ministers" and commemorates "the labors and achievements of the ministers of the Gospel, who as circuit riders became the friends, counselors and evangels to the pioneers on every American frontier." The ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and on ...

'' says the

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

is "symbolic of the many missionaries who came to Oregon". The 3.5-ton statue was cast by

Roman Bronze Works Roman Bronze Works, now operated as Roman Bronze Studios, is a bronze foundry in New York City. Established in 1897 by Riccardo Bertelli, it was the first American foundry to specialize in the lost-wax casting method, and was the country's pre-emin ...

in New York and was gifted to the State of Oregon in 1924. It was presented "in reverent and grateful remembrance of Robert Booth, pioneer minister of the Oregon Country" by his son, Robert Asbury Booth, who was a prominent Eugene businessman and Oregon State Highway Commissioner. The sculpture was originally sited at the west front of the old Capitol building and was relocated during construction of the new Capitol building (c. 1936–1937). It was reoriented to face west, symbolizing the westward migration to Oregon, in January 1853. A tree fell on the statue during the

Columbus Day Storm of 1962 The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 (also known as the Big Blow, and originally, and in Canada as Typhoon Freda) was a Pacific Northwest windstorm that struck the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States on October 12, ...

, knocking it off its pedestal. It remained on its side for several months, and was then sent to the studio of

James Lee Hansen James Lee Hansen (born June 13, 1925) is an American sculptor. Early life Hansen was born in Tacoma, Washington on June 13, 1925. Works * ''Talos'' (1964), Fulton Mall * ''The Guardian'' (1965) * ''Glyph Singer No. 3'' (1976), Vancouver, Washin ...

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

for repairs. The statue was returned to its pedestal in August 1963. In 1993, the statue was surveyed by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...

program, which concluded that "treatment asneeded".

References

External links

*
Proceedings at the Unveiling and Dedication of ''The Circuit Rider''
Wasco County Historical Society (als
here

Images of ''The Circuit Rider''
from Salem Public Library, including storm damage and recovery {{DEFAULTSORT:Circuit Rider, The 1924 establishments in Oregon 1924 sculptures Books in art Bronze sculptures in Oregon Equestrian statues in Oregon Outdoor sculptures in Salem, Oregon Sculptures of men in Oregon Statues by Alexander Phimister Proctor in Oregon

Description and history

See also

References

Further reading

External links