Oregon Pioneer

Oregon Pioneer, also known as Gold Man, is an eight-and-a-half ton bronze sculpture with gold leaf finish that sits atop the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon, United States. Created by Ulric Ellerhusen, the statue is a 22 ft -tall hollow sculpture. The gilded piece was installed atop the building in 1938 when a new capitol was built.
The "brawny woodsman", as Time magazine called it, was built in New Jersey by sculptor Ulric Ellerhusen. While under construction, Ellerhusen had a large door built in order to allow him to move the statue outdoors to view how it would look in natural lighting. It was finished in 1938 and shipped to Oregon for installation on top of the new capitol building. The previous capitol building had burned in 1935. Shipped to Oregon via the Panama Canal, the statue then traveled by rail to Salem, and then by truck to the capitol. Installation began on September 17, 1938, when the pioneer was hoisted to the top of the building as the installation took several days and was briefly delayed in order for the contractor to find heavier duty equipment to lift the heavy statue.

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