The Wagon Master
Owner: The Intercontinental Hotel
Artist: L. E. "Gus" Shafer
Dates: Dedicated September 8, 1973
Medium: Bronze (sculpture), limestone (base)
The City of Fountains Foundation holds an endowment for this sculpture.
Description:
The Wagon Master is a larger-than-life figure of a wagon train leader. The man is attired in western clothing and sitting on a horse with a gun placed across the saddle. He is pointing in a westerly direction. The sculpture sits on top of a large limestone rock and is surrounded by smaller rocks, small trees, brush and plants. The artist, Gus Shafer, used his own face as a model.
The sculpture was a gift of Catherine and Miller Nichols, their daughters, and Gus Shafer. It was dedicated on September 8, 1973. At the base of the statue is a button-activated recording which tells the story of The Wagon Master and also the Battle of Westport.
