The Pioneer, Bronze sculpture at University of Oregon, Eugene, US

The Pioneer is a thirteen-foot-tall bronze sculpture by Alexander Phimister Proctor, formerly on the University of Oregon campus. It depicts a bearded trapper in a buckskin coat with a rifle slung over his shoulder, standing on a basalt pedestal. The figure's open stance and forward gaze suggest movement.

Portland lawyer Joseph Nathan Teal commissioned the sculpture from Alexander Phimister Proctor, who found his model, trapper J. C. Cravens, after a ten-year search. Cast in bronze from a plaster form in Rhode Island, it was unveiled on May 22, 1919, before a crowd including the state's remaining settlers. It was the first statue placed on the University of Oregon campus. The statue was removed in 2020.

The figure embodies the spirit of westward expansion and shows how pioneers are rooted in local memory. For students, it is a daily sight that connects the history of the place with campus life.

The statue was removed from the University of Oregon campus on June 13, 2020, so it no longer stands near 13th Avenue. Its former site lay among the Oregon firs facing the Administrative Building, between Fenton Hall and Friendly Hall. Visitors can still walk that central campus area on foot.

Proctor integrated anatomical accuracy based on his experiences as a hunter and naturalist in the American wilderness. This gives the figure a subtle strength and authenticity that goes beyond typical academic monuments.