Madonna of the Trail, Albuquerque, NM
**New Mexico Madonna of the Trail** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 06000151, date listed 3/21/2006
Jct. of Marble Ave. and 4th St.
Albuquerque, NM (Bernalillo County)
The New Mexico Madonna of the Trail is located at the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Marble Avenue in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico along the former alignment of U.S. 66. The monument is surrounded by a landscaped park, which is sited on a block dominated by the city's federal courthouse.
The Madonna of the Trail monument, designed by German immigrant August Leimbach, was fabricated in 1928 of Algonite — a mix of crushed pink granite, stone, marble, Portland cement, and screenings of lead ore, poured into a mold and polished into its final form. The monument features a ten-foot high sculpture of a pioneer woman and two small children (Photo 4). The woman, depicted with a homespun dress, sunbonnet, and heavy boots, is captured in a firm mid-stride, her eyes intently focused on the horizon to the west. In one arm she carries an infant, while the other hand clutches a rifle. Another child, a small boy, clings to her skirt. Thistles surround her feet. The sculpture rests on a large square base that is six feet in height and weighs approximately twelve tons. Beneath the base is a five-foot deep foundation, three feet of which are below ground. The monument weighs five tons. (1)
The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) established a committee in 1911 to promote the highway that became the National Old Trails (N.O.T), and later, in 1926, Route 66. The NSDAR commissioned 12 identical statues (one for each state crossed by the N.O.T.), as a symbol of the courage of the pioneer women who stood by their families and helped tame the West. (2)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/06000151.pdf
(2) The Route 66 www.theroute-66.com/albuquerque-4th-street-US66.html#madonna
Madonna of the Trail, Albuquerque, NM
**New Mexico Madonna of the Trail** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 06000151, date listed 3/21/2006
Jct. of Marble Ave. and 4th St.
Albuquerque, NM (Bernalillo County)
The New Mexico Madonna of the Trail is located at the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Marble Avenue in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico along the former alignment of U.S. 66. The monument is surrounded by a landscaped park, which is sited on a block dominated by the city's federal courthouse.
The Madonna of the Trail monument, designed by German immigrant August Leimbach, was fabricated in 1928 of Algonite — a mix of crushed pink granite, stone, marble, Portland cement, and screenings of lead ore, poured into a mold and polished into its final form. The monument features a ten-foot high sculpture of a pioneer woman and two small children (Photo 4). The woman, depicted with a homespun dress, sunbonnet, and heavy boots, is captured in a firm mid-stride, her eyes intently focused on the horizon to the west. In one arm she carries an infant, while the other hand clutches a rifle. Another child, a small boy, clings to her skirt. Thistles surround her feet. The sculpture rests on a large square base that is six feet in height and weighs approximately twelve tons. Beneath the base is a five-foot deep foundation, three feet of which are below ground. The monument weighs five tons. (1)
The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) established a committee in 1911 to promote the highway that became the National Old Trails (N.O.T), and later, in 1926, Route 66. The NSDAR commissioned 12 identical statues (one for each state crossed by the N.O.T.), as a symbol of the courage of the pioneer women who stood by their families and helped tame the West. (2)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/06000151.pdf
(2) The Route 66 www.theroute-66.com/albuquerque-4th-street-US66.html#madonna