Madonna of the Trail

Foothill Blvd. at Euclid, Upland, CA
Phone:

East < GO > West

The Madonna of the Trail is a monument to the women who traveled west in the pioneer days. It also marks the western end of the National Old Trails Hwy. This statue was erected in 1929 and is the eleventh of twelve Madonna of the Trails Monuments, one in each state along the National Old Trails Hwy. (Hwy. US 40 & US 66).

GPS: 34.107216, -117.651204

The statues were commissioned by the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) and created by sculptor August Leimbach. The NSDAR was a driving force behind the creation of the N.O.T. Hwy. In 1911 they created National Old Trails Road Association (NOTR) to study which trails and select routes the road should follow.

This statue has seen some tough times, having been knocked down by a falling tree in 1957 and years later being damaged so significantly by an earthquake in 1991 that she had to be taken down and restored. The restoration went well and she's back on the pedestal where she belongs paying tribute to the courage, strength, and resilience of women everywhere.

The 12 identical statues stand about 15 - 18 feet tall, the variance being due to different heights of the bases. The figures themselves are about 10 feet tall. Each statue was erected at a cost of $1,000.00, a sum which the committee chairman pledged to guarantee. That chairman was Judge Harry S. Truman who would become President of the United States of America decades later. I haven't found any information on whether he actually had to provide the funds or if they eventually came from other fund raising efforts.

The inscription on the front of the monument reads:

"Madonna of the Trail
N.S.D.A.R. Monument
Pioneer Mothers
Covered Wagon Days"

The inscription on the east side reads:

"This Trail
Trod by the Padres
In Spanish Days
Became under Mexican rule
The road connecting
San Bernardino
and Los Angeles "

There are only two of these statues on the Mother Road, This one in Upland, and the other in Albuquerque, NM. The Albuquerque Madonna of the Trail stands in a small park at 4th St. NW and Marble Ave., NW. Others are Bethesda, MD, Wheeling, WV, Bealville, PA, Springfield, OH, Richmond, IN, Vandalia, IL Lexington, MO, Council Grove, KS, Lamar, CO, and Springvale, AZ.

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Vintage Advertising Highlights

EUCLID AVENUE, UPLAND, CALIFORNIA
Looking north from Foothill Boulevard (U.S. Highway 66). The Madonna of the Trail, one of a chain of monuments across the country, honoring the pioneer mothers, stands sheltered by the beautiful pepper trees in the center parkway.

NOTE: This landmark view postcard describes the Madonna of the Trail monument location and purpose.
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Photo(s): 2013