McKinley Bust: Orange Capital Tribute
Redlands, California
In 1901 Redlands called itself "The Land of Flowers" and "The Naval Orange Capital of the World." It was William McKinley's protective tariffs that kept the foreign oranges out of America and made Redlands wealthy. So when the President passed through Redlands on May 8 he was treated like a hero, with the streets covered in rose petals.
Four months later he was dead, shot by a crazed anarchist with a foreign-sounding name.
Exactly two years after McKinley's arrival, his ex-VP and presidential successor, Teddy Roosevelt, came to town. No rose petals this time as Teddy unveiled a memorial bust of McKinley atop a granite pedestal, engraved "Patriot, Statesman, Martyr." The head was sheltered beneath a fancy stone canopy supported by columns. The canopy and columns have since disappeared -- as has Redlands' orange supremacy -- but McKinley's head remains.