Arlene B. Nichols Moss of St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, was the chairwoman of the committee of the Daughters of the American Revolution

Daughters of the American Revolution

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....

 who conceptually conceived the Madonna of the Trail

Madonna of the Trail

Madonna of the Trail is a series of 12 monuments dedicated to the spirit of pioneer women in the United States. The monuments were commissioned by the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution...

 monuments.

Mrs. Moss visualized a statue similar to one she had seen in Oregon of Sacagawea

Sacagawea

Sacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...

, the Shoshone

Shoshone

The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....

 Native American woman who guided Lewis and Clark on their search for a water route to the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

. She sought out sculptor

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 August Leimbach

August Leimbach

August Leimbach was a German-American sculptor. A native of Germany, he studied art and sculpture, and after immigrating to the United States in 1910 he worked passionately as an architectural sculptor. He eventually settled in the St.Louis area.August Leimbach is best remembered for his work with...

to create the monuments.

The Madonna of the Trail monuments were dedicated in 12 states in 1928 and 1929.

Madonna of the Trail Website