The Statue of Hiawatha was a monument located at Riverside Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The statue was created by Anthony Zimmerhakl and overlooked the convergence of three rivers at Riverside Park: the Mississippi River, Black River, and the La Crosse River. It had been built with the intention of drawing tourism to the area and was based on a fictionalized version of Hiawatha, a 16th-century Native American chief who had no connection to local tribes. Long standing public debate about whether the statue was offensive or presented a caricature based on stereotypes of Native Americans eventually led to its removal in 2020, nearly 60 years after it was erected. History Installation In 1958, the city of La Crosse’s Chamber of Commerce commissioned art teacher Anthony Zimmerhakl to create a statue to be placed in Riverside Park. The Chamber of Commerce hoped that a monumental statue would draw tourism to the area. Zimmerhakl reportedly constructed the resulting 25-foot, 20-ton statue in his backyard near Weigent Park with the assistance of his sons. The city’s Board of Park Commissioners initially rejected the statue’s placement in Riverside Park in 1958. The board was not in opposition to the statue itself, but felt that it would “conflict with the essentially formal theme” of the park. They suggested that it instead be placed in Houska Park, though the city’s Tourist Publicity Committee largely ignored their proposal in favor of a more visible location for their tourist attraction. A 1994 thesis on revitalisation efforts of Riverside Park stated that the statue “detracts highly from the overall character of the park, developing an almost carnival-like feel to the area.” The statue was the subject of controversy even before it was formally erected. A committee meeting in September 1961 debated over naming the statue Hiawatha. Of concern to those at the meeting was the fact that Hiawatha had no ties to local Ho-Chunk and First Nation people; he was a member of the Mohawk people, historically based in the Mohawk River Valley in the state of New York. Proposals were made by city representatives and members of the local historical society to name the statue after a local indigenous leader, such as Waukon Decorah, Winnebago, Winneshiek, or Blackhawk. Unfortunately, the statue did not resemble local tribes in any way. The name was ultimately chosen because of its recognisability within western culture in the hopes of drawing the