Waupun in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The End of the Trail

By Keith L, September 27, 2009

1. The End of the Trail Marker

Inscription. Created as a tribute to the American Indian by James Earle Fraser (1876–1953) when only 17. His twice life-sized plaster replica gained world fame at the 1915 San Franciso Exposition. Clarence Shaler, Waupun industrialist, commissioned this first bronze casting. Dedication was June 23, 1929. Chief John Big Tree, Fraser's model, was the honored guest at Waupun's 125th Jubilee July 1–4, 1964.

Erected 1975 by the Waupun Historical Society. (Marker Number 120.)

Location. 43° 38.258′ N, 88° 43.852′ W. Marker is in Waupun, Wisconsin, in Fond du Lac County. Marker can be reached from North Madison Street (County Highway M) 0.4 miles north of East Main Street (State Highway 49), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in Shaler Memorial Park. Marker is in this post office area: Waupun WI 53963, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Clarence Addison Shaler (within shouting distance of this marker); Carnegie Library (approx. 0.4 miles away); Auto Race (approx. ¾ mile away); Horicon Marsh (approx. 4.3 miles away); The Raube Road Site

The End of the Trail Marker and Statue image. Click for full size.

By Keith L, September 27, 2009

2. The End of the Trail Marker and Statue

(approx. 6.4 miles away); First House Site in Dodge County, Wisconsin (approx. 9½ miles away); Bernard R. "Bunny" Berigan (approx. 10.4 miles away); Sisson’s Peony Gardens (approx. 12.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waupun.

More about this marker. This is a Wisconsin Registered Landmark – Number 120.

Also see . . . National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. "James Earle Fraser grew up on the plains in Mitchell, South Dakota. There he had unique encounters with pioneers, hunters and fur trappers, and he befriended many of the Plains Natives. He often heard stories about the “doomed fate” of the Native people and sympathized with their suffering as westward expansion threatened to consume their lands." (Submitted on December 12, 2009.)

Categories. • Arts, Letters, Music • Native Americans •

End of the Trail image. Click for full size.

By Keith L, September 27, 2009

3. End of the Trail

Plaque by Statue image. Click for full size.

By Keith L, September 27, 2009

4. Plaque by Statue

This statue has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Dept. of the Interior. [National Register #80000136]

The End of the Trail, Oklahoma City, Cowboy Museum image. Click for full size.

By Mike Stroud, June 1, 1996

5. The End of the Trail, Oklahoma City, Cowboy Museum

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on December 12, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,123 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 12, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. 5. submitted on February 14, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.