McGee: Pioneer ladies never far from mind

Have you seen that statue of the pioneer lady in the lobby of the Clovis Civic Center?

I saw her the other day. I thought about statues.

There are some here in the Southwest that stick in my mind.

link Grant McGee

Just down the road from the Clovis Civic Center’s “Pioneer Woman” is Clovis Community College’s “Clovis Man,” a tribute to those folks who were here a few thousand years ago to hunt the big game and then mosey on, probably because they couldn’t find water. I used to call him “Cave Dude,” but then I realized they wouldn’t have found any caves around here either. Every time I see this statue I think the poor guy has his spear stuck in that big ol’ mammoth and no one’s around to help him get it out.

Down the road in downtown Roswell is the big statue of John Chisum. Chisum is on horseback wrangling a longhorn steer. It’s a powerful piece that’s in a place now called “Pioneer Plaza.” It catches my eye because 24 years ago I ran a used record store right in front of where the statue stands. My little shop is gone now. They tore down the buildings. It’s OK, even I have to admit that the Chisum statue and the little park around it looks better than my ramshackle little store and its funky neighbors.

Thinking of dudes on horseback, I remember a statue of a man reining in a horse smack dab in the middle of the big, tall buildings of downtown Tucson, Arizona.

At first glance I thought it was Teddy Roosevelt. Turns out it’s Pancho Villa. The statue is a gift from The Republic of Mexico to the city of Tucson.

I blinked my eyes and I was back in the lobby of the Civic Center standing in front of the Pioneer Woman. I had gone from Clovis to Roswell to Tucson and back all in a flash, all because of a statue.

Grant McGee is a long-time broadcaster and former truck driver who rides bicycles and likes to talk about his many adventures on the road of life. Contact him at his blog: grantmcgeewrites.com