The Pioneers Monument, sometimes referred to as the James Lick Monument, designed by sculptor Frank Happersberger, was dedicated on the corner of Hyde, Grove and Market Streets on November 29, 1894 before being moved to its current location on Fulton Street between Hyde and Larkin Street in 1993. The monument was a gift of James Lick who set up a trust which provided $100,000 for bronze statuary representing figures in the history of California. When the cornerstone was laid on Sept. 10, 1894, a time capsule was placed beneath it. It was moved to clear way for the construction of the new San Francisco Main Library.
The large, 820-ton monument measures 47-feet by 44-feet by 62-feet. It consists of a center column, topped with the allegorical figure of a woman, Eureka, representing California. On the column are four bronze reliefs--"Crossing the Sierra," "Vaqueros Lassoing a Bull,"Trapper Trading Skins with Indians," and "California's Progress under American Rule; and two dates--"1848" for the discovery of Gold and "1850" for California's admission into the Union. Around the bottom of the column are five portrait medallions of men in California's history: John Sutter, John Fremont, Sir Francis Drake, Father Juniper Serra, and James Lick. Below these portraits are the names: Vallejo, Larkin, Marshall, Castro, Stockton, Sloat, Portola, and Cabrillo.
Extending from the column, on short piers, are two groups of allegorical figures, a woman in a boat representing Commerce, and a woman in a horn of plenty reprsenting Plenty. Two larger piers contain groupings of three figures each. One is titled "Early Days" and contains a missionary, a Native American, and a Vaquero. The other is titled "In '49'" and contains three gold miners.
The Civic Center National Historic District, roughly bounded by Golden Gate Avenue, and 7th, Franklin, Hayes, and Market Streets, is one of the finest and most complete manifestations of the City Beautiful movement, a high minded progressive reform movement in architecture and urban planning that flourished at the start of the 20th century. It is also international importance as the scene of the founding of the United Nations and the drafting and signing of the post-World War II peace treaties with Japan.
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