History in Bronze
These maquettes are identical replications of monuments displayed in or planned for downtown as part of our History in Bronze public art project. See our Attractions for the location of the downtown monuments. The sale of these maquettes benefits downtown Artesia.
For maquette pricing and ordering information, please contact us.
First Lady of Artesia
Artesia area pioneer Sallie Chisum lived from 1857 to 1934. She was the niece of famed cattle king John Chisum and was known to have had a friendship with the infamous Billy the Kid. She was an entrepreneur and the town's first postmistress.
The monument was unveiled on July 26, 2003, and dedicated to the spirit of the pioneer woman.
The Derrick Floor
The Derrick Floor is a celebration of the oil patch in southeastern New Mexico and the men and women who built it.
The Derrick Floor is a bronze artistic representation of a four-man crew on a drilling rig. The drilling rig is a 100% life-size sculpture cut off at approximately 34 feet in height. The importance of the piece lies not in the equipment, but in the men who built the oil patch; therefore the four men in the crew are 125% life size.
The Derrick Floor was dedicated on April 24, 2004 "to the men and women who take the risks and do the work to find, produce and refine New Mexico oil and gas."
Cattle Drive Monuments
The Trail Boss
The three monuments, “The Trail Boss,” “The Vaquero,” and “The Rustler” were designed to be interactive so that they will tell a story typical of the Cattle Drive Era. As the story goes, while moving a herd of cattle, the Vaquero (cowboy) spots the Cattle Rustler (thief) attempting to alter the brand on one of the Trail Boss’s steers. The Vaquero has signaled to the Trail Boss who is shown spurring his horse to action in response to the thief. In this scene the Rustler is aware that he has been noticed and is preparing to defend himself in the inevitable confrontation.
The Trail Boss, located at First and Main Streets, was the first of the Cattle Drive monuments to be unveiled. Click for pictures of the March 24, 2007 unveiling ceremony.
Vaquero
The three monuments, “The Trail Boss,” “The Vaquero,” and “The Rustler” were designed to be interactive so that they will tell a story typical of the Cattle Drive Era. As the story goes, while moving a herd of cattle, the Vaquero (cowboy) spots the Cattle Rustler (thief) attempting to alter the brand on one of the Trail Boss’s steers. The Vaquero has signaled to the Trail Boss who is shown spurring his horse to action in response to the thief. In this scene the Rustler is aware that he has been noticed and is preparing to defend himself in the inevitable confrontation.
The Vaquero will be the second Cattle Drive monument completed with an unveiling to be announced. The Vaquero will be located at Second and Main Streets.
Rustler
The three monuments, "The Trail Boss," "The Vaquero," and "The Rustler" were designed to be interactive so that they will tell a story typical of the Cattle Drive Era. As the story goes, while moving a herd of cattle, the Vaquero (cowboy) spots the Cattle Rustler (thief) attempting to alter the brand on one of the Trail Boss's steers. The Vaquero has signaled to the Trail Boss who is shown spurring his horse to action in response to the thief. In this scene the Rustler is aware that he has been noticed and is preparing to defend himself in the inevitable confrontation.
The Rustler will be the last Cattle Drive monument completed with an unveiling scheduled for mid-year 2008. The Rustler will be located in the proposed roundabout in phase 1 of the Second and Texas project currently under construction.
