Black Hawk Statue/"The Eternal Indian"
Plans for The Black Hawk Statue began in 1908 by sculptor Lorado Taft and the Eagle's Nest Art Colony. The crossed-arms nature of the statue is akin to how Taft and others stood on the bluff, arms folded in contemplation of where American Indians once stood, looking over the same bluff of the Rock River. The monolith was completed in 1911.
The Black Hawk Statue is named for Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk Native Americans. Though the statue honors Chief Black Hawk, the statue is more representative of Taft's appreciation of nature and Native Americans appreciation of the beauty of nature.
The Black Hawk Statue is almost 50 feet tall with a 6 foot base. The hollow statue is reinforced with iron rods and made of cement and pink granite chips. The figure is estimated to weigh 100 tons and is thought to be the second largest concrete monolithic statue in the world.
