Monarch of the Plains, (sculpture).

Monarch of the Plains, (sculpture).

Felten, Pete, sculptor.

Hunter Ready Mix Company, contractor.

Monarch of the Plains, (sculpture).

Modeled 1962. Carved 1965-1967. Dedicated July 4, 1967.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: Indiana limestone; Base: Indiana limestone and concrete.

Sculpture: approx. H. 8 ft. x L. 10 ft.; Base: approx. H. 7 ft. x L. 12 ft. (19 tons).

A giant buffalo, with its head slightly tilted to the left and its horns curving up, stands on all four legs atop a pyramidal-shaped base. The buffalo has textured hair that is shaggy. The base is decorated with relief panels on each of its four sides. The panels depict a mother buffalo with her calf; an Indian about to shot a buffalo with an arrow; a herd of buffalo near a steam engine; and a panel telling the story of the "Monarch of the Plains."

Animal -- Buffalo

Animal -- Portrait -- Wild Bill

Figure male -- Full length

Ethnic -- Indian

Animal -- Horse

Architecture -- Vehicle -- Train

Outdoor Sculpture -- Kansas -- Hays

Old Fort Hays, Highway 40, Hays, Kansas 67601

The sculpture was commissioned by the Fort Hays Historical Society and the Hays Chamber of Commerce, in honor of the Hays Centennial. The sculpture commemorates the buffalo that once grazed by the millions on the Kansas prairie. A local buffalo named Wild Bill served as the model for the sculpture. The sculpture materials and shipping cost approximately $1,000 and were funded by the Old Fort Hays Historical Association. The Hunter Ready Mix Company assisted with the pouring of concrete for the base. IAS files contain related clippings from Hays Daily News, dating from 1963 through 1976; and articles from GRIT, March 3, 1968, New Section, pg. 40; the Wichita Eagle Beacon, May 16, 1976; and from KANSAS Magazine (1973): pg. 26-27. IAS files contain a copy of Peter Felten, Jr.'s "The Story of the Monarch of the Plains Statue," Hays, KS: Ellis County Star, 1967, pg. 1-32.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Kansas survey, 1995.

Wichita Eagle Beacon, May 16, 1976.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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