The Circuit Rider, Bronze equestrian statue at Capitol Park in Salem, Oregon, United States.
The Circuit Rider is a bronze equestrian statue depicting a Methodist minister on horseback that stands on the Oregon State Capitol grounds. The work shows a robed figure seated upright on a horse, facing westward with a calm posture.
The 3.5-ton bronze was cast by Roman Bronze Works in New York and given to the State of Oregon in 1924 by Robert Asbury Booth, a Eugene businessman and highway commissioner, in memory of his father Robert Booth, a pioneer Methodist minister. It first stood at the west front of the old Capitol and was moved during construction of the new Capitol around 1936–1937. A tree felled in the 1962 Columbus Day Storm knocked it from its pedestal; after months on its side it was repaired in James Lee Hansen's Vancouver, Washington studio and returned in August 1963.
The statue honors Methodist circuit ministers who traveled widely across frontier territories in the 1800s to serve settler communities in Oregon. It stands as a reminder of how these clergy brought faith and community support to remote pioneer settlements.
The statue stands in Capitol Park east of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, on the grounds where it was placed after the new Capitol was built around 1936–1937. It faces west, toward the direction of the pioneer migration it commemorates. Visitors reach it on foot through the park; the bronze rests on a pedestal after being returned there in August 1963.
During the Columbus Day Storm of 1962, a fallen tree knocked the statue off its pedestal and caused severe damage to the bronze. The extensive restoration work took place in Vancouver, Washington and required months of careful repair.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,017 contributors worldwide.