End of the Trail (Fraser)
The End of the Trail is a sculpture by James Earle Fraser. Fraser created the original version of the work in 1894, and he subsequently produced numerous replicas in both plaster and bronze. The sculpture depicts a weary Native American man, wearing only the remains of a blanket and carrying a spear. He is hanging limp as his weary horse with swollen eyes comes to the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The wind blowing the horse's tail suggests they have their backs to the wind. The man in the statue is based on Seneca Chief John Big Tree, and the horse was adapted from one in another work, In the Wind. The statue is a commentary on the damage Euro-American settlement inflicted upon Native Americans. The main figure embodies the suffering and exhaustion of people driven from their native lands.
Plaster sculpture of End of the Trail exhibited at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition
Bronze sculpture of End of the Trail, located in Shaler Park, Waupun, Wisconsin.
James Earle Fraser (sculptor)
James Earle Fraser was an American sculptor during the first half of the 20th century. His work is integral to many of Washington, D.C.'s most iconic structures.
Fraser, c. 1920
1913 Indian Head nickel obverse and reverse
Fraser's sculpture End of the Trail
Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia