Black Hawk restoration goal met

Brad Jennings
Posted 10/5/18

The Black Hawk Statue, which towers over the Rock River near Oregon, will finally be getting a much-needed restoration.

A campaign to raise the money needed to restore the statue has reached its goal, said John Lindhorst, president of Oregon Together.

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Black Hawk restoration goal met

Posted

OREGON – The Black Hawk Statue, which towers over the Rock River near Oregon, will finally be getting a much-needed restoration.
A campaign to raise the money needed to restore the statue has reached its goal, said John Lindhorst, president of Oregon Together.
“I cannot say enough about how impressed I have been with the outpouring of support from the Oregon community,” he said. “The people of Oregon joined together and made it happen.”
Locally, $225,000 was raised to match the $350,000 grant the state Legislature made to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The goal was reached through donations from the Etnyre Foundation, private foundations, local banks and Oregon Together, Lindhorst said.

A large chunk of the money came from E.D. Etnyre & Co., which in July donated $100,000 toward the restoration project.
Lindhorst said the statue means a lot to the area.
“The Eternal Indian, locally known as ‘Black Hawk,’ has stood for over one-hundred years as a tribute to the Native American heritage of the Rock River Valley,” he said. “It is an historical and artistic landmark. Thousands of people come to visit the site, making it an important part of our local economy.”
Lindhorst said that work on the 48-foot tall statue is expected to begin in the spring.
It will be placed under a protective cover for the winter.
He said the estimated completion date for the restoration is the summer of 2019.
“Our working relationship with the Illinois Conservation Foundation has been amazing,” Lindhorst said. “Oregon Together will continue to raise funds for future maintenance of the statue and for future projects at the site.”
The statue was created by Lorado Taft and was completed in 1911. It stands 125 feet above the Rock River.