On The Chisholm Trail Statue
category : Arts
Oklahoma's largest bronze sculpture (16' high and 35" long) stands in Duncan, adjacent to the museum. The sculpture shows a chuch wagon followed by longhorn cattle on the move northward. Cowboys are intent on the herd. Of interest to young observers is the trail dog trotting alongside. Postcards and other materials imaging the On The Chisholm Trail bronze sculpture are available to the public in the Museum Gift Shop.
One Man's Legacy ... One Man's Labor of Love
For Thomas H. McCasland Jr., (Oklahoma oilman, entrepreneur, business man, philanthropist, father of two, employer to hundreds, champion to dozen's of worth while causes) ... it wasn't at all a question of "how to be remembered". Tom had already touched the lives of thousands of individuals and organizations ... far too many to be easily forgotten even as the thought of retirement from the business he had grown to greatness loomed largely in the back of his still very active dreams and aspirations. Quite the contrary ... this President of the McCasland Foundation was searching for a means to boost the community of Duncan, Oklahoma and honor the memory of his father, grandfather, the pioneers of Stephens county, and the builders of the State of Oklahoma ... when the thought of erecting a monument to it's past first came into being. With roots deeply seated in the heritage of this great state and community, Tom knew that a tribute HAD to be made to the men (the cowboys) who molded this land so many years before ... with mud in their boots and rain on their hats as they lead the thundering herds of longhorn cattle across the untamed wilderness to forge the basis of commerce and community in the wild and unforgiving landscape.
Through a connection with his high school friend Bill Moore, Tom contacted Bill's son sculptor Paul Moore ... now artist in residence at the University of Oklahoma ... and no stranger to larger than life projects (see biography this site). With the fervor and enthusiasm that only a master sculptor can describe, Paul threw himself into the work. Two years, and countless hours of tedious ... sometimes back breaking ... work later, a massive and eerily realistic image of the "Chisholm Trail" began to emerge in the Shidony foundry near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Using a "relief to fully dimensional" style which will undoubtedly become his trademark ... Paul Moore cast into bronze the spirit of a bygone era. Standing nearly 15 feet high atop it's immense base and stretching almost 35 feet across the horizon this majestic work of art, titled "On the Chisholm Trail" is truly a monument to the American cowboy ... a legacy to the man who dared to dream ... and a labor of love to the artist who's own roots allowed the insight to make it a reality.
Admission: Statue Free. Museum: $4-$6
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday, 1:00 - 5:00 PM
Address: 1000 North 29th Street
Phone: 580-252-6692
Fax: 580-252-6567
Our Email: trail@onthechisholmtrail.com
Our Website:www.onthechisholmtrail.com
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