Saving the Lincoln Highway's Chief Black Hawk-- Part 2: How It Became Chief Black Hawk

Their quest to save the statue began in 2008 at their home in Sterling, Illinois, after they read a newspaper story about the loss of state funding for Black Hawk.  She turned to her husband Frank, 72, and said, ""Frank, the American people fixed the Statue of Liberty.  Now, doggone it, we need to fix the Black Hawk statue."

The 103-year-old statue, actually named the Eternal Indian, was designed by acclaimed sculptor Lorado Taft, and acquired the Black Hawk name as a reference to the martyred Native American who led his people during what is called the Black Hawk War in 1832.  It looks nothing like the man, however.

The face actually is considered to be either a composite of American Indian men or perhaps that of one of Taft's close friends, writer Hamlin Garland who lived in an art colony that occupied the area before it became a state park.

--RoadDog