Statue of Hiawatha

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.

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