The Pioneer Woman statue will stand in Weyburn as a symbol to recognition all the unique contributions that pioneer women made to the community and the surrounding area.
Members of the Pioneer Woman Statue committee met with Shirley and Don Begg on Wednesday, the two sculptors commissioned to create the bronze statue. According to Ross McMurtry, chairman of the Pioneer Woman Statue committee, they are hoping for an unveiling date of Mother’s Day, next year.
“We are very happy with the response that we have received from the community,” said McMurtry. “We had a $120,000 goal, and reached that milestone because of the generosity and enthusiasm of the community.”
McMurtry said that since coming up with the concept for a Pioneer Woman statue, many people in the community agreed that it was a worthy cause. “The feeling was that these pioneer women should be honoured, and there should be recognition of the unique contribution that women made in the building of our communities.”
“Now, we want to expand the story of the life and times of the pioneer woman,” said McMurtry. He said that a few additions to the sculpture, plus the cost of signage and lighting at the base of the statue will require raising another $30,000.
Shirley and Don said creating the Pioneer Woman statue is very near and dear to their heart.
“We were very pleased with the reception we received when we visited Weyburn, and seeing all the sights, and meeting the people on the Pioneer Woman Statue committee,” said Shirley.
The concept of the statue is a pioneer woman, with a baby on her hip, a shy and timid five-year old girl who has a basket of chicken eggs, and a seven-year old boy feeding the chickens. Another suggestion was to add a cream can to the statue base.
“The statue truly represents how everyone on the farm helped with day-to-day chores,” said McMurtry. “It also demonstrated how pioneer women depended on the sale of eggs and cream.”
“We want to represent all the women who came out to the Canadian prairies, and faced hardships and loneliness while settling here. They preserved so much and due to them, we all owe them for that,” said Shirley.
She said that many residents will be able to relate to the pioneer woman. “Right now, there is a generation of women who have a closer connection to their grandmothers — who were the pioneer women we are representing in the statue creation.”
Shirley and Don, are from Cochrane, Alta., and have created bronze sculptures together since 1970. They are third-generation Albertans, descendents of pioneers, and have both received national and international recognition and awards for excellence in their profession.
One of the things left to be determined is a location for the Pioneer Woman Statue. McMurtry noted that while Don and Shirley were in town, the committee toured them to all the potential locations for the statue.
“Our committee has strongly recommended the corner of Fifth Street and the highway (First Avenue), right by the swimming pool,” said McMurtry. “That location would be a beautiful setting for the statue.”
“There is already a garden bed there, and it is by a controlled crossing across the highway so there would be lots of car and walking traffic. It is also a location by a school and a nursing home,” said McMurtry.
There were two other locations toured, the centrepiece in Jubilee Park and an empty lot by the exhibition grounds. McMurtry noted that the empty lot by the exhibition grounds held possibilities, however the sculptors felt that the Jubilee Park centrepiece would be unsuitable since it would not be as visible as other suggested locations.
The Pioneer Woman Statue committee is accepting submissions of Pioneer Woman stories, by any local residents who want to share the experiences and stories of women in their family.
“We are collecting these stories, and we hope to form them into a book,” said McMurtry. He also noted that the Weyburn Review is also featuring several of these stories in their publication.
