ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — At the corner of Fourth Street and Marble Avenue, there’s a statue that’s been standing for nearly 100 years. The piece aims to honor the pioneering women of the early 1900s.
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. – ‘Cruising San Mateo’ stands the test of time
- Pt. II – Story behind the ‘Transformers’ sculptures downtown
- Pt. III – A mural at Civic Plaza representing resiliency
- Pt. IV –An owl-shaped cafe off of I-40
- 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 —…