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The Trail of the Whispering Giants is an ongoing project and much of the material here especially the chart below is out of date and too extensive to edit fully this article.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

A. C. 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.
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