Pioneer Woman

Pioneer Woman is a bronze sculpture in Ponca City, Oklahoma, showing a mother in a long dress leading a boy forward with a book in her left hand. The monument stands on a pedestal in a small park surrounded by lawns and trees.

Ernest Whitworth Marland commissioned the monument in 1930 after 750,000 people voted in a competition for Bryant Baker's design. The project emerged during the economic depression to remember the settlers of the territorial period.

The figure honors the women who settled Oklahoma during the late 19th century land distributions and built homes and communities there. Her name refers to the pioneering women who often traveled long distances with few belongings and raised families under difficult conditions.

Access to the monument and adjacent museum at 701 Monument Road is available, with the museum open Tuesday through Saturday between 10 AM and 5 PM. Parking is located directly in front of the entrance and the grounds are accessible at ground level.

The bronze figure weighs around 5,400 kilograms and reaches about 5.2 meters (17 feet) in height, making it one of the largest monuments dedicated to pioneer women. Baker created the model in his New York studio before it was cast at a foundry in California.

Location: Oklahoma

Inception: 1930

Creator: Bryant Baker

GPS coordinates: 36.71000,-97.06528

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:31