Statue of Indian leader returning to Capitol

Massasoit returns to the state Capitol grounds this week.

Cyrus Dallin's sometimes controversial statue of the Wampanoag Indian leader who is credited with saving the Pilgrims during their early days at Plymouth, Mass., will be reinstalled at an official ceremony Thursday at 11 a.m.

And while some have complained that it's inappropriate to have a statue honoring a Massachusetts Indian leader on display in front of Utah's Capitol when the state has plenty of homegrown American Indians who deserve recognition, Judith McConkie, Utah's Capitol curator, said the work by one of Utah's most famous artists deserves its honored place because of the historic nature of the statue as well as the individual it portrays.

The Massasoit statue has been on display in Utah's capitol since 1922, when it was presented to the state by Utah native Dallin after he had gained international fame. The original clay model graced the rotunda of the state Capitol from 1922 until 1957. A bronze version of the statue was installed in front the Capitol in 1959 and removed during the recent Capitol renovation so it could be refurbished.

Deseret News photographers have taken many photos of the statue throughout the years. Photo researcher Ron Fox has located dozens of these photos, which can now be seen at the newspaper Web site, deseretnews.com.

Dallin was born in Springville in 1861 and spent his childhood playing with Indian friends, whom he credited with first inspiring his artistic tendencies.

In an article in the Relief Society Magazine of October 1922, Alice Merrill Horne recorded the following statement by Dallin about the statue and his personal feelings about the American Indians:

"I want it to express my gratitude, my admiration, my passion for him, the friend of my youthful days in and around Springville. He it was who taught me the first art I knew and which I have tried to express. For what success I have won, the Indian deserves great credit."

By that time, Dallin had achieved great success.

In an article in the Oct. 23, 2000, Deseret News, senior writer Carma Wadley wrote: "In 1880, when he was 18, a group of Dallin's friends raised enough money to send him to Boston to study with sculptor Truman A. Bartlett, a well-known artist of his time. Then Dallin traveled to Paris to study at the Academie Julian. Dallin won an honorable mention at the Paris Salon for his work there.

"Most of his career was spent in the East, where he lived and worked, teaching at the Massachusetts State Normal Art School and completing more than 250 works of art."