Plaza construction underway at Black Hawk Statue site

OREGON – Work has started on the new plaza around the Black Hawk Statue.

Workers from O’Brien Civil Works, Mt. Morris, began laying the large ‘dry wall’ stones around the base of the iconic statue last week – three years after the project’s initial conception.

Jake Meyers, Matt Ewald, and Troy O’Brien of O’Brien Civil Works, Inc. of Mt. Morris were busy measuring and examining the large stones before carrying the 40-plus pound beasts to the base of the Lorado Taft creation.

Oregon citizens, under the direction of an Illinois Department of Natural Resources landscape architect, brainstormed the idea for the plaza area in 2019 advocating for a new landscaping scheme which included native plants and a more “user-friendly” atmosphere.

Time and weather has prompted numerous repairs to the 113-year-old concrete statue with its last restoration being completed in 2020.

The 125-foot statue was created by Chicago sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a tribute to Native Americans, is situated in Lowden State Park on a high bluff overlooking the Rock River. It was unveiled in 1911.

Attempts to reach the IDNR for additional information on the landscaping project were unsuccessful.