This 25-ton granite "Pioneers" sculpture was given to the City of Minneapolis by the Pillsbury family during the Great Depression. It served as the centerpiece of a park near the Central Post Office in Minneapolis called Pioneer Square. Created by John Karl Daniels, the sculpture was dedicated in 1936 on the 103rd anniversary of the birth of Charles Loring, the father of the Minneapolis Park System.

In the name of urban renewal the sculpture was moved in 1967 after being offered to anyone willing to relocate it, a move that was “greatly upsetting” to the then 90-year-old Daniels, according to Monumental Minnesota: A Guide to Outdoor Sculpture.

The sculpture now sits on the corner of 5th Avenue and Main Street NE and, in time, will be moved across Main Street into the newly constructed B.F. Nelson park on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from downtown Minneapolis.

This 53-foot-tall monument honors those who fought in the Civil War. At the top of the column is a figure of Josias R. King, the first man to volunteer for the first Minnesota infantry, which was the first regiment to volunteer for the Civil War. It was created by John K. Daniels in 1903. It’s also known as the Josias R. King Monument, the Civil War Monument and the Soldier’s Monument.

The victories
They helped achieve
Preserved the
Union of the States
Abolished
Human slavery
established the
National prestige
Opened new avenues for the
Development of man
and the
Advancement of liberty.

To perpetuate the memory of
The Union soliders and Sailors
of the war of
1861-1865
Their patriotism inspired
Unquestioning devotion
Their valor was attested
On hard-won battlefields
Their suffering
and
Sacrifice exalted
The glorious cause and
Ennobled the
Splendid triumph.

Erected through
The instrumentality of
The Allied organizations
of the City of St. Paul
Grand Army
of the Republic
A.D. 1903
The statue represents
Josias R. King
The first man to volunteer
In the fist Minnesota infantry
The first regiment
Tendered the government
For the suppression
Of the rebellion.

Sculptor John K. Daniels created this 13-foot monument to Norwegian explorer Leif Erickson in 1949. It was sponsored by the Minnesota Leif Erickson Monument Association and dedicated on Minnesota’s territorial centennial.

It’s curious that this is the second monument to an explorer who “discovered” the new world in the Minnesota State Capitol Mall. Neither Christopher Columbus nor Erickson were the first to discover the “new” world. More than a few indigenous people beat them to it. James Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong goes into more detail on Columbus (a lot more).

Sculptor John Karl Daniels created this sculpture of Minnesota politician Knute Nelson for the Minnesota State Capitol in 1928. Joining the figure of Nelson are two more figures on each side. One is Nelson as a child with his Norwegian mother and the other is Nelson as a Civil War soldier. Nelson served as a U.S. congressman, governor of Minnesota and a U.S. senator.

A plaque on the sculpture reads:

Knute Nelson
February 2, 1843 – April, 28 1923

Three years a soldier in the Civil War / Three times a member of Congress / Twice governor of Minnesota / Five times our United States senator.

A brave son of Norway / A true patriot devoted in his allegiance to America / A wise statesman uncompromising in support of the principles in which he believed / A distinguished citizen of Minnesota.

This 1956 marble sculpture by John Karl Daniels features a man bound by stone (hence the title, “Earthbound”) and is dedicated to the veterans of Minnesota. It sits in front of the Veterans’ Service Building in St. Paul.

It looks like a piece of the nose is missing. What’s up with classical sculptures always having damaged noses? Is that something intentional or is it just that hard to keep the nose in perfect condition?