The Westward Expansion was much more than just a migration of individuals and families. It was a flame that ignited the imagination, dreams and hopes of people around the globe which would soon be preserved for eternity in bronze.

 

Once Upon a Time

in the West

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The epic journeys and adventures of pioneers discovering new frontiers in the American West excited the imagination of the world's writers and artists. From tales of the French and British Voyageurs paddling canoes along wild rivers hunting beaver on the prairies and in the mountains of the Western half of America to the perilous journeys across America in billowing covered wagons – the stories streaming from the West were an immediate source of wonder and inspiration.

 

As fur trappers returned with canoes and flat boats piled high with pelts, they shared tales of the wild beauty and majesty of the trails and rivers they had traveled. They also relayed stories of the Native American tribes and the rich land and wide open spaces.

 

Stories of a land without limits kindled both wonder and excitement in the general public but particularly in those who dared to leave everything they knew behind to make a new life on the plains and prairies or to seek gold in the Pacific Northwest and California.

 

A Clash of Cultures

Captured in Bronze

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Sadly, the inevitable conflicts that arose between cultures as different as the Native American Tribes and the waves of mostly European settlers would bring an end to one era as it opened up a new way of life and opportunity for another.

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The Grace Dee May Museum presents a unique collection of masterpieces in bronze statuary which share artistic visions of the American West from artists including Frederic Remington, Charles Russell and more.