Statues - Hither & Thither |
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Dallas
Texas Pioneer Plaza |
Trail Drive: An American Monument to the West |
Robert Summers
1992-97 |
![]() Trail boss |
![]() Black cutter |
![]() Vaquero |
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The sculpture and the plaza itself were the idea of real estate developer Trammell Crow, who wanted an iconic "Western" sculpture in the city of Dallas and assembled a group to donate the sculptures. The $9 million project was begun in 1992 on 4.2 acres (17,000 m2) of land donated by the City of Dallas; $4.8 million of the cost came from private funds raised from individuals and local businesses. Local artists sued to stop the project and claimed that it was historically inaccurate for the city, but the project opened on time in 1994 and terminated in 1997.
The large sculpture commemorates nineteenth century cattle drives that took place along the Shawnee Trail, the earliest and easternmost route by which Texas longhorn cattle were taken to northern railheads. The trail passed through Austin, Waco, and Dallas until the Chisolm Trail siphoned off most of the traffic in 1867.
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