How Much Do You Know About The Eternal Indian?

You might look at that photo and think to yourself, "Wait, The Eternal Indian? I thought that was Chief Blackhawk's statue." It is Blackhawk statue to many of us, especially those of us who grew up outside Oregon, Illinois, directly across the river from where the statue stands. To locals, it's always been Blackhawk, or Chief Blackhawk, but the statue was dedicated in 1911 as "The Eternal Indian."

My grandfather, who was born in 1903, recalled being taken up to the site on the grounds of the Eagles Nest Art Colony during construction between 1908 and 1911. He was quite taken by how the statue looks as though it grew right out of the ground. As a kid, my family lived in the neighborhood directly west across the river from Blackhawk, and one of my mother's greatest joys was the view of the statue from her kitchen window.

A couple of things you may or may not have known about The Eternal Indian:

• It stands about 125 feet above the Rock River on a bluff
• The statue's height is about 48 feet
• The statue's weight is around 540,000 pounds
• Made of concrete, it's the 2nd largest monolithic concrete statue in the world
• The interior of the statue is hollow, the exterior is between 8 inches and 3 feet thick
• The Eternal Indian, although inspired by Sauk Indian Chief Blackhawk, is not his likeness
• The Eternal Indian is currently undergoing much needed restoration, with hope of completion this summer.

Here's a little more: