Myth and Memory in Denver’s Pioneer Monuments

In 1911 Denverites opposed plans for a Pioneer Monument they read as celebrating American Indian dominance over white settlers.  Over the next century, Coloradans erected many conventional public statues depicting cowboys, American Indian warriors, and frontier families.  But a few Colorado pioneer monuments also experimented with more avant garde artistic designs and greater cultural inclusivity. Cynthia Culver Prescott, author of the new book Pioneer Mother Monuments: Constructing Cultural Memory, will recount changing depictions of Colorado’s frontier history in the pioneer monuments.  Participants will then be invited to walk outside the Library to view the Pioneer Monument and other frontier-themed sculptures in Civic Center Park with new eyes.