Full Text of HR0830 100th General Assembly
HR0830 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Eternal Indian, also known as the Black Hawk | 3 | | Statue, stands high on a bluff within Lowden State Park, | 4 | | overlooking the Rock River and the city of Oregon, Illinois; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The Eternal Indian is listed on the National | 7 | | Register of Historic Places and attracts visitors from across | 8 | | the nation, greatly contributing to the economy of the | 9 | | surrounding area; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The statue was created by Elmwood, Illinois native | 11 | | and internationally-renowned sculptor Lorado Taft, who came to | 12 | | the area to found the Eagle's Nest Art Colony, a group of | 13 | | artists from the Chicago Art Institute and the University of | 14 | | Chicago, to escape the city's summer heat; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Lorado Taft sought to adequately pay tribute to | 16 | | the various Native American tribes who lived on the wooded | 17 | | bluffs, most notably the Sauk, Fox, Sioux, and Mohawk tribes; | 18 | | and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Lorado Taft was particularly inspired by the life | 20 | | of Sauk leader Black Hawk, who was born in the village of | 21 | | Saukenuk, near what is now Rock Island, Illinois, and went on |
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| 1 | | to lead the Sauk and Fox tribes; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Lorado Taft began constructing the statue in 1909, | 3 | | and the statue was dedicated on July 1, 1911; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, The statue stands just under 50 feet tall and is | 5 | | hollow, reinforced with iron and covered by an outer layer of | 6 | | cement and pink granite, which is as thick as three feet in | 7 | | some spots; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Eternal Indian is estimated to weigh around | 9 | | 536,770 pounds and is thought to be the second largest concrete | 10 | | monolithic statue in the world; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, After 107 years in the varying Illinois weather, | 12 | | the statue has exhibited numerous signs of wear, such as deep | 13 | | cracks and pockmarks, that threaten not just the aesthetic | 14 | | appeal, but also the structural integrity of the statue; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, In 2009, the General Assembly of the State of | 16 | | Illinois appropriated $350,000 to the Lowden State Park for the | 17 | | renovation of the statue; however, these funds were never | 18 | | received; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Seeing the lack of state funding, private citizens | 20 | | stepped up and formed the Friends of the Black Hawk Statue |
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| 1 | | Committee, which has worked tirelessly to raise funds and | 2 | | awareness of the statue; their efforts were enhanced on | 3 | | November 5, 2009, when the statue was added to the U.S. | 4 | | National Register of Historic Places; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, We applaud the efforts of the Friends of the Black | 6 | | Hawk Statue Committee, but much of the several hundred thousand | 7 | | dollars that have been raised are being used for upkeep instead | 8 | | of restoration; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The statue is not only a point of pride for the | 10 | | people of northwest Illinois, it is a national historical | 11 | | landmark and a tribute to the lives of the Native Americans who | 12 | | inhabited Illinois well before the state was established; | 13 | | therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 15 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 16 | | urge the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to explore | 17 | | ways to finance the renovation of the Eternal Indian statue at | 18 | | Lowden State Park in order to preserve a treasured Illinois | 19 | | monument for generations to come; and be it further
| 20 | | RESOLVED, That we applaud and admire the efforts of private | 21 | | citizens and the Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Committee in | 22 | | these difficult financial times; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the Chairperson of the Friends of the Black Hawk | 3 | | Statue Committee, the Illinois Department of Natural | 4 | | Resources, and the Mayor of Oregon, Illinois.
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