BLM NEWS RELEASE
ELKO — The public is invited to attend a special event at the California National Historic Trail Interpretive Center for the unveiling of a 5-piece bronze sculpture celebrating overland pioneers from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, 2010. The event is free will also include a portrayal of President Theodor Roosevelt, and 1800s period music and songs.
The sculpture depicts a trapper talking to a pioneer family as they prepare to head west. Denver-area sculptor DiAnne Cooper created the 5-piece set, which will be a permanent display at the Trail Center entrance. Cooper also created the Trail Center’s “Touch the Elephant” bronze sculpture of a miner who sees an elephant for the first time.
The event is part of the Trail Center’s ongoing 10th anniversary celebration of the BLM National Landscape Conservation System. “This new sculpture is another one-of-a-kind piece of public art that will be on permanent display at the Trail Center,” said Trail Center Manager David Jamiel. “The mission of the Trail Center is to keep the history of the California National Historic Trail alive.”
Doug Mishler from the “Humanities on the Road” program will portray President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, as he kicks off the program at 2:15 p.m. with Chautauqua-style opening remarks. The local musical group South Wind will perform period music from the 1800s, and members of the Elko Overland Stage Theatre Company will also perform period songs. Humanities on the Road is sponsored by the Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as by the Southern Nevada Conservancy.
During the winter months, the Trail Center will be open to the public for presentations, special events and prearranged tours for school and community groups. The Trail Center also has a meeting room available. Center staff will publicize other events and programs throughout the fall and winter months, such as the popular family contra-dances, and History along the Humboldt presentations.
Operated by the Bureau of Land Management Elko District Office, the California National Historic Trail Interpretive Center is located just off Interstate 80, eight miles west of Elko at Hunter Exit 292. For more information about programs or for questions about the Trail Center, please call Suzanne Miller at 775-738-1849 or 775-934-2467 (cell).
