{"nrhp_refnum":"01000117","name":"Pioneers, The","other_names":["Pioneers"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Central Park, N,. Magnolia St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elmwood","county":"Peoria County","state":"IL","lat":40.77925870400003,"lon":-89.97276051199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-05-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ten-foot bronze sculpture of a pioneer couple with a baby, dog and rifle, set on a granite base in Central Park, Elmwood, Peoria County, Illinois. Lorado Taft completed it in 1928.","why_significant":"It is nominated under Criterion C for art as a locally significant work by sculptor Lorado Taft, who was born in Elmwood. It is described as one of Taft's major sculptures, executed in his traditional style but simplified, and it realizes his long-held pioneer theme. It carries deep meaning for the town and the state.","narrative":"Standing in Central Park in Elmwood, Illinois, this ten-foot bronze sculpture shows a pioneer couple with a baby, a Collie-type dog and a flintlock rifle. It rests on a gray Quincy granite base carved with a dedication to the pioneers who bridged the streams, subdued the soil and founded a state. Lorado Taft, born in Elmwood in 1860, signed the work in 1928. Townspeople raised more than $17,000 to pay for casting and mounting, while Taft donated the sculpture itself. The figures face west, suggesting the westward movement, and the style is a simplified version of Taft's traditional approach. The piece was listed for its artistic value as a locally significant work by a sculptor once regarded as Chicago's most distinguished artist. Taft's own family came to Elmwood in 1855, and he had been interested in the pioneer theme since about 1890. The bronze was restored in 1993 after serious corrosion.","period_of_significance":"1928","architect_builder":"Taft, Lorado Zadok","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Restored in summer 1993 after severe, uneven surface corrosion; the base is described as level and stable.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.187278-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/8938/28893865/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/01000117.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000117/df3c581e20-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000117/df3c581e20-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"LeeT","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pioneers.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LeeT</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pioneers.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893865","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pioneers_(sculpture)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7757234"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/peoria-county/pioneers-the-01000117/"}