Hiawatha Statue

Ironwood’s Hiawatha Statue was built in 1964.  The idea for the statue originated with Charles Gotta, an Ironwood automobile dealer, who had seen similar forms of “road art” during his travels in Minnesota.   Made entirely of fiberglass, the 52′ tall statue in 2019 underwent a $25K complete structural repair and repainting by the F.A.S.T. Corporation of Sparta, WI –one of the very few firms nationally that still makes and repairs these types of structures.  Located just a few blocks south of Ironwood’s downtown, the statue faces north, toward Lake Superior.  Such “road art” was once seen all over the United States just after the creation of the Interstate Highway System by President Eisenhower in the 1950’s, but now there are very few examples left, and certainly very few of the size of Ironwood’s Hiawatha!

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