Trail of the Whispering Giants

The Trail of the Whispering Giants is a collection of sculptures by Hungarian-born[1] artist Peter Wolf Toth.[2] The sculptures range in height from 20 to 40 feet (6.1 to 12.2 m), and are between 8 and 10 feet (2.4 and 3.0 m) in diameter.[3] In 2009, there were 74 Whispering Giants,[2] with at least one in each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada,[3] and one in Hungary.[4] One in Oregon was removed in 2017 after irreparable windstorm damage,[5] reducing the total to 73. In 1988, Toth completed his goal of placing at least one statue in each of the 50 states, by carving one in Hawaii, and in 2008, he created his first Whispering Giant in Europe, Stephen I of Hungary in Délegyháza,[6] Hungary along the Danube River.[4]

In 2009, eight more Whispering Giants were planned.[2]

The sculptures

(Update February 2, 2015) The Trail of the Whispering Giants is an ongoing project and much of the material here especially the chart below is out of date and too extensive to edit fully this article. A traveler, David Schumaker, went on a quest to identify all the Whispering Giant statues and has documented 57 existing statues and identified 12 that are now missing or destroyed since Peter Wolf Toth began this project in 1972. Schumaker has documented his information on the WEB site Peter Wolf Toth which has the most current information on the Whispering Giants and messages from the artist himself.[7]

The 74 Whispering Giants range from 15 to 40 feet (4.6 to 12.2 m) in height,[3] and all resemble natives of the region in which they are located. Toth always donates the Whispering Giant he creates to the town he carved it in, and never charges a fee for his time. He does require that the raw materials (a large log between 8 and 10 feet (2.4 and 3.0 m) in diameter) be provided, as well as lodging and living expenses.[3] The carvings have been appraised at a quarter of a million dollars each.[3]

Toth uses a hammer and a chisel as the basic tools to create the Whispering Giants, but on occasion will use a mallet and an axe, or rarely power tools.[8] Before starting work on a Whispering Giant, Toth confers with local Native American tribes and local lawmakers.[8] The sculpture that is created is a composite of all the physical characteristics, especially facial features, of the local tribe or tribes, as well as their stories and histories.[8]

Currently Peter Toth resides in Edgewater, Florida, where he has a small studio where he carves small wooden statues to raise money to create more Whispering Giants.[4] He travels around America to repair Whispering Giants he carved in the past that have not been kept up, as well as to carve new ones.[4] The latest Whispering Giant carved was in Vincennes, Indiana, in 2009 out of Black Oak, but there are still eight more statues planned to be built.[2]

The Trail

#	Date	Location	State/Province	Medium	Approx. Height	Picture/Name	Status
1[9]	1972, February	La Jolla	California	Rock beach cliff			Lost[10]
2[11]	1972, Summer	Akron	Ohio	Maple
3[12][13]	1973, January	DeLand	Florida	Oak	7 feet		Lost to rot
4[14][15]	1973, February	Colquitt U.S. Highway 27	Georgia	Red Cedar	18 feet		Replaced with number 70. Reason for replacement unknown.
5[16][17]	1973, April	Dothan Houston-Love Memorial Library	Alabama	Oak	20 feet	Mus-Quoian
6[18]	1973, June	Sharon	Pennsylvania	Elm	20 feet	Seneca
7[19][20]	1973, August	Dunkirk Route 5, Lake Shore Drive West	New York	Elm	7.5 feet	Ong-Gwe-Ohn-Weh	Restored by the artist in 2014[21]
8[22][23]	1973, October	Wheeling	West Virginia	Elm	14 feet	Kanououara	Destroyed by Dutch elm disease
9[24][25]	1973, December	Cleveland Museum Center at 5ive Points	Tennessee	Oak	10 feet	Cherokee Chieftain
10[26][27]	1974, January	Punta Gorda Freeman House, 311 West Retta Esplanade	Florida	Parota	15 feet	Calostimucu
11[28]	1974, October	Vancouver	Washington	White Fir	25 feet
12[29]	1975, February	New Orleans	Louisiana	Oak			In storage.[6]
13[30][31]	1975, April	Little Rock[32]	Arkansas	Oak	20 feet
14[33]	1975, June	Fort Wayne	Indiana		25 feet		Destroyed by termites.[6]
15[34][35]	1975, August	Lansing Potter Park Zoo	Michigan	Elm	29 feet 3 inches		Removed in 2012.[36]
16[37]	1975, October	Hopewell	Illinois	Oak
17[38][39]	1975, December	Ocean Springs Davidson Park	Mississippi	Cypress	27 feet	Crooked Feather
18[40]	1976, March	Wilmington Greenfield Park	North Carolina	Oak	27 feet		In 1979, the statue was moved from Greenfield Park to a walking trail near the "Lion's Bridge". In 1986, it was moved again to Buckhead, NC.[41] Replaced by Statue #71.
19[42][43]	1976, May	Virginia Beach Mount Trashmore City Park	Virginia	Cypress	24 feet
20[44]	1976, July	Atlantic City	New Jersey	Tulip Poplar			Missing (status unknown).[6]
21[45][46]	1976, September	Ocean City South Second Street & Baltimore Avenue	Maryland	Oak	20 feet	Assateague Indian
22[47][48]	1976, December	Bethany Beach	Delaware	poplar	27 feet	Chief Little Owl	Destroyed by high winds in 1992; remains located at Indian Museum in Millsboro. Replaced in early 1990s, and again in 2002 with Statue #69.
23[49][50]	1977, February	Charleston	South Carolina Charles Towne Landing	Darlington Oak	24 feet	Landing Brave
24[51][52]	1977, May	St. Louis Forest Park	Missouri	Oak	19 feet
25[53][54]	1977, July	Two Harbors Information Center 8, Highway 61 East	Minnesota	Pine	30 feet
26[55][56]	1977, September	Hayward Carnegie Library	Wisconsin	Oak	34 feet	Tribute to the Ojibwe
27[57]	1977, November	Desert Hot Springs Cabot's Pueblo Museum	California	Sequoia/Cedar		Waokiye
28[58]	1978, June	Iowa Falls	Iowa	Cottonwood
29[59][60]	1978, September	Troy Doniphan County Courthouse	Kansas	Burr Oak	27 feet	Tall Oak
30[61]	1979, May	Broken Bow	Oklahoma	Cypress
31[62][63]	1979, August	Loveland 2033 Waterdale Drive, Rock Ridge Ranch	Colorado	Cottonwood	37 feet	Redman	Relocated to a private ranch on the northern side of US Route 34 (west of Loveland, CO) from its original location on the southern shore of Lake Loveland.
32[64][65]	1979, October	Red Lodge Red Lodge Library	Montana	Ponderosa Pine	25 feet
33[66][67]		Winslow Winslow Visitor Center	Arizona	Ponderosa Pine	40 feet
34[68]	1980, May	Texarkana	Texas	Red Oak			Missing (status unknown).[6]
35[69][70]	1980, July	Lincoln Lincoln Indian Center	Nebraska	Cottonwood	25 feet		Fallen giant has succumbed to birds, bugs, and weather. It has been destroyed.
36[71][72]	1980, September	Worland Washakie County Courthouse	Wyoming	Douglas fir	20 feet	Brave 36 of trail of whispering giants
37[73][74]	1980, November	Idaho Falls North Tourist Park, Lincoln Road and North Yellowstone Highway	Idaho	Douglas Fir	27 feet
38[75][76]	1981, June	Aberdeen Anderson Park	South Dakota	Cottonwood	25 feet		Moved indoors for repair; viewable by appointment.[6]
39[77][78]	1981, August	Mandan Stage Stop, 601 6th Avenue Southeast	North Dakota	Cottonwood	25 feet
40[79][80]	1981, October	Valdez Prince William Sound College	Alaska	Sitka spruce	30 feet
41[81][82]	1982, May	Osceola	Iowa	Cottonwood			Destroyed in 1993 by winds and flood; replacement created by Jesse Kuhs.[6]
42[83][84]	24 July 1982	Narragansett Sprague Memorial Park	Rhode Island	Douglas fir	20 feet	Enishkeetompauog Narragansett
43[85]	1982, October	Groton	Connecticut	Douglas fir			In storage.[6]
44[13][86]	1983, May	Ft. Lauderdale Seminole Indian tribe trading post	Florida	Cypress	30 feet
45[87][88]	24 July 1983	Plymouth Tourist Information Center, Route 3, Exit 5	Massachusetts	Red Oak	30 feet	Enisketomp
46[89]	1983, October	Bar Harbor	Maine	Elm		Glooscap
47 [90][91]	22 July 1984	Burlington Battery Park	Vermont	Red Oak	34 feet	Chief Grey Lock
48[92]	1984, September	Laconia Opechee Park	New Hampshire	Red Oak	36 feet	Keewakwa Abenaki Keenahbeh
49[93]	1984, November	Springfield Forest Park	Massachusetts		15 feet	Omiskanoagwiah
50[94]	1985, May	Paducah Bob Noble Park	Kentucky	Red Oak	35 feet	Wacinton	The sculpture was restored during the summer of 2016.[95][96]
51[97]	1985, August	Akron Fairlawn Elementary School	Ohio	Red Oak	30 feet	Rotaynah	The sculpture was removed in Fall 2018 due to its deteriorating condition and safety concerns, The face of the sculpture (roughly 14 ft high) was saved, is in storage, and is looking for an indoor home to preserve it for future viewing. If you have an idea contact the Akron Public Schools.
52[98][99]	23 November 1985	Murray City Park	Utah	Cottonwood		Chief Wasatch
53[100]	1986	Reno Idlewild Park	Nevada		17 feet	Wa-Pai-Shone
54[101]	1986	Las Cruces Southeast of Hwy 70	New Mexico	Pine	20 feet	Dineh
55[102]	29 November 1986	Johnson City Metro-Kiwanis Park	Tennessee	Chestnut Oak	25 feet	Chief Junaluska	The sculpture is in the process of being restored during October 2018. [103]
56[104][105]	1987, September 25[105][106]	Hillsboro Shute Park	Oregon	Douglas Fir	25 feet	Chief Kno-Tah	Removed June 2017, after a windstorm caused damage that was deemed irreparable[5]
57[107]	1987	Astoria Youngs Bay Bridge	Oregon	Cedar	18 feet	Ikala Nawan
58[108]	1988, May	Hale'iwa 59-254 Kamehameha Highway, between Sunset Beach and Sunset Beach Elementary School	Hawaii	Douglas Fir or redwood	25 feet	Maui Pohaku Loa
59[109]	1988, October	Wakefield Dock on Sunday Lake	Michigan		20 feet	Nee-Gaw-Nee-Gaw-Bow
60[110]	1988	North Bay Welcome Center	Ontario, Canada		16 feet	Nibising
61[111]	1989, May	Ottawa Welcome Center	Illinois		13 feet	Ho-Ma-Sjah-Nah-Zhee-Ga
62[112]	1989	Utica Starved Rock State Park	Illinois	Oak	20 feet	Chief Walks with the Wind
63[113]	1989, September	Cherokee Museum of the Cherokee Indian	North Carolina		22 feet	Sequoyah
64[114]	1989	Concord "Buffalo Ranch" (defunct)[115]	North Carolina		20 feet		Severely damaged
65[116][117]	1989, October	Williamsport Brandon Park	Pennsylvania		20 feet	Woapalanee
66[118]		Hollywood Seminole Reservation	Florida				May have been moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
67[119]	1992	Winnipeg Beach In the Town Square	Manitoba, Canada	Cedar	30 feet	Anishinaabe
68[120]	1999	Iowa Falls Foster Blvd., adjacent to the Veterans Memorial overlooking the Iowa River	Iowa		30 feet		New statue replacing Statue #28[121]
69[122]	2002	Bethany Beach Front of Town Hall on Garfield Parkway	Delaware		25 feet	Chief Little Owl	In 1992, termites and high winds destroyed Statue #22. A replacement statue was carved out of white oak by Dennis D. Beach and lasted until 2000. Statue #69 carved by Peter Wolf Toth in 2002 replaces Statue #22[123]
70[124]	2002	Colquitt Chamber of Commerce building on Highway 27	Georgia		18 feet		New statue replaces Statue #4[125]
71[126]	2005	Buckhead Waccamaw Siouan Indian Reservation	North Carolina		16 feet		New statue replaces Statue #18 that was moved to this location from Wilmington, NC[41]
72[127]	2005	Whiteville North Carolina Museum of Forestry	North Carolina		16 feet
73[4][6]	2008	Délegyháza, Hungary				Stephen I of Hungary
74[2]	2009	Vincennes First and Hart streets	Indiana	Black Oak		Tecumseh

References

Bibliography

• Toth, Peter Wolf (1983). Indian Giver. Cable, Wisconsin: Tribal Press. p. 216. ISBN 0-9607044-2-6. OCLC 12664657. LCC NB237.T635 A4 1983

Notes

1. Toth p.5
2. Tree trunk to become Tecumseh monument arrives in Vincennes Thursday, Courierpress.com. September 30, 2009. Accessed September 30, 2009
3. Trail Leads to Ladysmith Ladysmith Chronicle, September 14, 2009. Accessed October 10, 2009
4. "Artist's statues honor Indians in all 50 states". Cape Coral Daily Breeze. April 5, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
5. Pursinger, Geoff (June 15, 2017). "No more Kno-Tah. Statue removed early Thursday morning from Shute Park". Hillsboro Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
6. Peter Wolf Toth: Sculptures Honor Native Americans, a December 31, 2008 article from Magyar News Online
7. "Peter Wolf Toth".
8. Stoical 25-year-old reminder of the honor due first peoples, The Boston Globe. August 24, 2008. Accessed December 6, 2009.
9. Toth p.55
10. David Schumaker. Missing Statues
11. Toth p.59
12. Toth p.68
13. Sculptor casts a GIANT SHADOW.Orlando Sentinel. September 14, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2009
14. Toth p.70
15. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number GA000446
16. Toth p.73
17. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number AL000264
18. Toth p.77
19. Toth p.82
20. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number NY000873
21. http://www.observertoday.com/news/page-one/2014/10/giant-protection/
22. Toth p.87
23. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number WV000041
24. Toth p.90
25. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number TN000231
26. Toth p.95
27. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number 73261502
28. Toth p.101
29. Toth p.107
30. Toth p.112
31. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number AR000344
32. https://www.littlerock.com/little-rock-destinations/riverfront-park. Riverfront Park: History Pavilion (Red Brick Pavilion) Missing or empty |title= (help)
33. Toth p.118
34. Toth p.123
35. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number 87730027
36. Farewell, Whispering Giant
37. Toth p.129
38. Toth p.136
39. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number MS000075
40. Toth p.145
41. Steelman, Ben (1 December 2005). "Sculptor undertakes giant task". Wilmington, North Carolina: Star-News. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
42. Toth p.150
43. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number VA000201
44. Toth p.155
45. Toth p.159
46. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number MD000432
47. Toth p.162
48. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number DE000029
49. Toth p.166
50. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number SC000226
51. Toth p.168
52. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number MO000021
53. Toth p.172
54. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number MN000342
55. Toth p.177
56. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number WI000116
57. Toth p.187
58. Toth p.193
59. Toth p.196
60. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number KS000486
61. Toth p.204
62. Toth p.205
63. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number CO000512
64. Toth p.206
65. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number MT000024
66. Toth p.207
67. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number AZ000322
68. Toth p.208
69. Toth p.214
70. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number NE000158
71. Toth p.215
72. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number WY000053
73. Toth p.216
74. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number ID000023
75. Toth p.217
76. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number SD000050
77. Toth p.218
78. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number ND000040
79. Toth p.219
80. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number AK000201
81. Toth p.223
82. Peter Toth's Indian Sculpture Meets a Watery Grave Here, The Ogden Reporter. November 3, 1993. Accessed September 30, 2009.
83. Toth p.224
84. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number RI000079
85. Toth p.227
86. Toth p.228
87. Toth p.231
88. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number 87740251
89. Toth p.232
90. Wills, Matt, Burlington, Vermont - Toth Indian - Chief Grey Lock. Roadside America. September 11, 2009. Accessed December 12, 2009
91. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number VT000033
92. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number NH000283
93. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number MA000063
94. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number KY000276
95. "Original Artist, Peter "Wolf" Toth, Travels to Paducah to Stabilize Wacinton". City of Paducah, Kentucky. 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
96. "Rededication of Wacinton Sculpture Set for Sunday, August 21 at 3 p.m." City of Paducah, Kentucky. August 19, 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
97. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number OH000579
98. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #52 Murray, Utah". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
99. Merrill, Dawn (30 January 2010). "Utah: Chief Wasatch - Peter Toth Carving". Roadsideamerica.com. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
100. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number NV000190
101. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #54 Las Cruces, New Mexico". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
102. Junaluska - Trail of Whispering Giants (Dedication plaque affixed to the sculpture). Johnson City, Tennessee. 2016.
103. "Renowned sculptor returns to Johnson City to repair 32-year-old piece". Johnson City Press. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
104. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #56 Hillsboro, Oregon". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
105. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number OR000243
106. "Festivities to greet 'Whispering Giant' at park in Hillsboro". The Oregonian. September 24, 1987. p. W1.
107. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number OR000224
108. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number HI000012
109. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number MI000390
110. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #60 North Bay, Ontario, Canada". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
111. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #61 Ottawa, Illinois". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
112. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number IL000334
113. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number NC000280
114. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #64 Concord, North Carolina". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
115. "Mount Pleasant, North Carolina: Buffalo Ranch (Gone)". RoadsideAmerica.com. 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
116. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #65 Williamsport, Pennsylvania". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
117. Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog Control Number PA001493
118. Trail of Whispering Giants (pamphlet). Edgewater, Florida: Peter Wolf Toth - Home Studio Museum Art World Gallery. 2008.
119. Way Marking.com
120. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #68 Iowa Falls, Iowa". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
121. Schumaker, David (2015). "Original Iowa Falls statue #28". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
122. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #69 Bethany Beach, Delaware". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
123. Schumaker, David (2015). "Original Bethany Beach statue #22". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
124. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #70 Colquitt, Georgia". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
125. Schumaker, David (2015). "Original Colquitt, Georgia statue #4". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
126. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #71 Buckhead, North Carolina". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
127. Schumaker, David (2015). "Peter Wolf Toth: Statue #72 Whiteville, North Carolina". David Schumaker. Retrieved 2016-06-08.

External links

• Media related to Peter Wolf Toth at Wikimedia Commons
• Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) Art Inventories Catalog: Peter Toth inventory