Ponca City, Oklahoma -
Big Bronze Pioneer Woman Statue

The Pioneer Woman Museum features a permanent gallery housing artifacts from pioneer homes and ranches, alongside the history of several Oklahoma women who have contributed to the development of the state and the nation. We have an interactive hands-on exhibit called "What is it?" that features educational props you may pick up and guess what is was used for; lift the picture behind the object and find out if you are as smart as a pioneer.

Our pictorial history in the north hallway shows you the building and unveiling of "Confident," the Pioneer Woman Statue. Our Education Room features musical instruments from Pioneer families as well as a military exhibit by Operation Pioneer Spirit. In our Southwest Gallery, you'll find, "Let's Have a Party!": Oklahoma's Women of Rock & Roll. In here you'll find artifacts from the 1950s all the way up to today, a word game, a matching game, a 50" screen on the garage set where you can view performances, videos, and interviews by Oklahoma's women of rock and roll. [R D Dawson, 01/14/2011]

The Pioneer Woman statue in Ponca City in Northeastern Oklahoma, near the Kansas border, is a different design altogether from the Madonnas of the Trail. It is an original and I think many other towns in that 1920s early '30s time period also had their own made as well, in addition to the 12 Madonnas of the Trail mentioned in your story. [CC, 10/17/2009]

Forget those 10-foot Madonnas of the Trail. This mother rises 17 feet as she strides across the Oklahoma plains-turned-oil fields with her Bible in one arm and her young-un clutched in the other. [cathy Spaulding, 06/28/2006]

[RA: She's been strutting westward since 1930, when she was the third largest bronze statue in world. Another towering Mom-ument.]