Albuquerque Reliques: A statue on Fourth honoring pioneer women
The Lew Wallace chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the National Trails Association donated 'Madonna of the Trail' to the city back in 1928. It was adopted by the city's public art program 70 years later. During this time, the piece underwent some conservation work.
Albuquerque Reliques is a web series taking a look at landmarks, art, and oddities in the area.
Pt I. –
Pt. II – Story behind the 'Transformers' sculptures downtown
Pt. III – A mural at Civic Plaza representing resiliency
Pt. IV –
Pt. V – Downtown hawk sculpture symbolizing the west
Pt. VI – A faux dinosaur fossil installation in a west side arroyo
Pt. VII – An Old Town chapel
'From my understanding, it was a mission of specifically the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Trails Association, to honor women who were pioneers during this time,' said City of Albuquerque Public Art Outreach Coordinator Mandolen Sanchez. 'And so, you know, they wanted these monuments kind of along the country in different spots. And so this was an area they identified and were interested in sharing it.'
The statue showcases a woman in a bonnet and a dress with boots, carrying two children. It was created by Architect August Leimbach out of Algonite stone. The statue is one of 12 placed along Route 40 from Maryland, to California. On the side of the statue, there's a passage which reads —
'Into the primitive west,Face upflung toward the sun.Bravely she came,Her children beside her.Here she made them a home,Beautiful pioneer mother!'
A time capsule is buried in the same area as the statue. The capsule was initially buried in 1928, then replaced during the statue conservation work in 1998. 'They did find the time capsule when they moved the piece. And a lot of the materials had been kind of damaged by water and just the environment. It wasn't sealed completely,' said Sanchez. 'But, you know, that did give an opportunity for, in the 1998 move, to do a new time capsule that is part of that.'
The time capsule includes original items from 1928, such as a padlock from a memory box placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, an Albuquerque Journal article, and a 1928 silver dollar. There are also new additions, such as a beanie baby and Balloon Fiesta pins. The capsule is expected to be opened in 2048.
The City of Albuquerque has mostly moved away from monuments/memorials as public art pieces. 'Because there are so many other avenues for people to fund projects like that and, you know, dedicate them to individuals or larger communities,' said Sanchez. 'And so, you know, I think it's a balancing of having public art funds be available for artists for other projects as well.'
The statue can be found at 323 Marble Ave NW near the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.
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