Do not copy any of my artwork, poetry or photography without my permission.

Do not copy any of my artwork, poetry or photography without my permission.
....carpe diem. The Daylily. "Be like the flower, turn your face to the sun." Khalil Gibran. She gives her all for just one day then bows her head to God and fades away to nourish the next generation. God I pray I may give my all each day to honor you and bow my head at the end to nourish the next generation. Peggy Jones. NOTE............ Please folks do not copy any of my art or photos on my blog without my permission. Thank you for your good manners.

Blogs full of blessings

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Sepia Saturday-The Hiker



you are going or, like those in this archive photo entitled "Palmer's Mystery Hike No. 2", the destination is not as important as the journey, there is fun to be had. As for those who are in search of a theme, there are walkers, roads, hats, short trousers, and the alarming phenomenon of a woman with three legs. In the great traditions of Sepia Saturday, it doesn't matter what theme you follow, it is the day out which is the enjoyable thing. So plan your days out on or around Saturday 13th April 2013 and add a link to the list below.

I know, I have been MIA and have lots of excuses. Just needed a rest.
But I've been missing my Sepia Saturday blogging buddies so I decided to give this a research.
Been fascinated by Michael and Jeff Shaara's works on the Civil War and loved this photo as soon as I saw it.

Found this interesting photo
 
"The Hiker"



'The Hiker," erected in 1959, still stands watch in Armory Park, Tucson, AZ


Armory Park in the heart of downtown Tucson is home to many events, festivals and community tributes. Originally called Military Plaza Park, the site was both the home to the soldiers who guarded the Presidio and an armory center. With shuffleboard courts and a bandshell, if there's not one of the many happenings already happening at the park, you can make one happen yourself.


The Hiker is a statue created by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson. It commemorates the American soldiers who fought in the Spanish–American War, the Boxer Rebellion and the Philippine–American War. The first version of it was made for the University of Minnesota in 1906,[1] but at leasst 50 copies were made, and were erected very widely across the US.
"The Hiker depicts a hero stripped of his parade uniform and shown as a soldier reacting to the challenges of the battlefield." [2]

When she created The Hiker, Kitson already had a reputation for sculpting war memorial statues. For the title of her work, Kitson used the term that American soldiers in both the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War gave themselves: "hikers". Leonard Sefing, Jr., a Spanish–American War veteran from Allentown, Pennsylvania, was selected as the model for the statue after a photograph of him was entered into a national contest.[3]
The original statue was unveiled at the University of Minnesota on Memorial Day, 1906.[4] The statue stands in front of the armory at 15 Church Street. Also known as the "Student Soldier Memorial", it is a monument to the 218 University of Minnesota students who served in the Spanish–American War.[5] The statue is 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and stands on a 6-foot (1.8 m) granite base, depicting a soldier clad in a period uniform with a campaign hat and a Krag-Jørgensen rifle. Today this statue, now missing its gun tip,[6] is popularly known as Iron Mike.[5]

Kitson's work proved to be very popular,[4] largely because of its realism and historical accuracy.[7] In 1921, the Gorham Manufacturing Company, located in Providence, Rhode Island, bought the rights to the statue, and over the next 44 years Gorham cast at least 50 Hiker statues.[7] The earliest installations tended to be in the northeastern United States, with post-World War II statues installed mostly in the South and West.[6]
Because of the wide distribution of the statues, they have recently been used to study air pollution over the last century.[6]



Here is your link to other SS 








9 comments:

21 Wits said...

Hello, it's so good to see you here again. Rest is always important, and you come back so refreshed. What a wonderful post for our theme too, I really was curious about that photo too! My daughter recently graduated from the University of Minnesota too!

Nigel Aspdin (Derby, UK) said...

Hmmm...I never thought I would be reading a scientific paper on US air pollution today...but its always tempting to follow links.

Postcardy said...

I have two postcards of the statue at the University of Minnesota. I had trouble finding them when I looked because neither is called "The Hiker." One is labeled "Soldier's Monument, University of Minnesota" and the other "Phillipine Statue of Minn., MINNEAPOLIS, Minn." I had no idea it was called "The Hiker," what that kind of "hiker" was, or that so many copies were made.

Monica T. said...

How very appropriate for the theme:)

Little Nell said...

Good to have you back with us Peggy, and thank you for introducing us to a different understanding of the term 'hiker'. I always say that Sepia Saturday is an education and so your post proved today.

Kristin said...

My grandmother's brother was a stoker during the Spanish American War. Sounded like a horrible job. The statue looks much more idealized. Which is what statues do.

Kathy said...

Hiker used in this way was certainly new to me. And maybe I'm just stupid - or uninformed - but I'd never thought about statues being cast so many times for distribution to different locations.

Brett Payne said...

Interesting - I'd not heard of hikers being used to refer to war veterans either, but here at Sepia Saturday we learn something new each week.

Bruno Laliberté said...

"Iron Mike"?!?
From historical monument to near derision. Sad to see the lack of interest from the young ones...
Great art piece though.
Thanks for sharing a bit of its history!!
:)~
HUGZ