This lone figure on his weary horse is one of the most recognized symbols of the American West, created by James Earle Fraser (1876-1953). Many view it as a reverent memorial to a great and courageous people. This monumental, 18-foot plaster sculpture was created for the San Francisco's 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and received the Gold Medal for sculpture. The subject of immediate widespread acclaim, they widely reproduced the image in a postcard, print, trinket, and miniature form. In 1920, the City of Visalia obtained the discarded statue and placed it in Mooney's Grove Park, where it remained, in a gradually deteriorating condition, for 48 years. In 1968 the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum acquired this original plaster statue, had the plaster cast in bronze, and returned the cast sculpture to Mooney's Grove Park, where people can view it today.