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Full-scale Bronze ( 60' x 15' ), Olathe, Kansas, 2008
'Going West' - the scene at the northwest corner of Kansas City and Ridgeview roads, is reminiscent of scenes travelers along the Santa Fe Trail saw about 150 years ago.
This full scale bronze sculpture titled "Going West on the Old Santa Fe Trail," stretches 60 feet and stands 15 feet tall, and also includes stand-alone figures separated from the backdrop making the sculpture come to life. It depicts 15 travelers on a stagecoach pulled by 6 horses with birds flying over the sky and a woman seeing them off as they continue their journey.
These 16 characters represent different people from the time period. They're men, women and children of different ages and races.
Combines two- and three-dimensional elements to bring the sculpture to life. The two horses at the front of the stagecoach emerge from the cement wall and two of the characters, a woman and a young boy stand side by side in front of the wall.
As his inspiration, Kwan Wu used some familiar faces. Maron Moore is seated in the front window of the stagecoach. Mike Haskin sits in the back window. Mahaffie's site manager is standing in front. Other Mahaffie employees are the inspiration for some of the faces of the other characters.
The committee dedicated the sculpture at Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008. "We wanted to give something significant that the city could be proud of," said Marlene Natoli, a co-chair of Olathe's Sesquicentennial Committee. "... (The sculpture) doesn't let the city forget where it came from."
The sculpture is showing people of future generations what happened in Olathe 150 years ago.
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