Chief Woapalanee Welcomes Spring
by Gene Walls
Title
Chief Woapalanee Welcomes Spring
Artist
Gene Walls
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
On a beautiful spring evening, Chief Woapalanee greets all visitors to Brandon Park. The striking sculpture of "Woapalanee" was created by artist Peter "Wolf" Toth, as a bold tribute to our native American heritage. Beautiful tulips surround the chief every year to celebrate the passing of winter and the arrival of spring.
Brandon Park is a beautiful city park, near center city Williamsport, in north central Pennsylvania, USA. This is our largest public park within the city. Many events are held here, like live music performances and night time movies at the band shell & amphitheater. This park represents so much of what Williamsport is all about.
The city was built along the west branch of the Susquehanna River. Logging was the main industry here in the 1800s, but no longer. The lumber company owners had become extremely wealthy here, so much so that Williamsport became nationally know as the home of the greatest number of millionaires per capita.
In the twentieth century, Little League Baseball was founded in Williamsport. The World Series of Little League Baseball is currently our most notable distinction, world-wide.
This photo was shot just before sunset on April 26th with a Canon EOS 10D using a Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 Prime lens, 1/90th sec. @ f/13. The ISO was set to 100 and a Manfrotto tripod was used.
Your comments are always welcome! Constructive criticism is appreciated.
� 2009 Gene Walls
Uploaded
June 7th, 2013
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Viewed 107 Times - Last Visitor from Hollis, NY on 03/06/2024 at 4:15 AM
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Comments (6)
Tim Devine
Very cool monument Gene, beautifully captured. v
Gene Walls replied:
Thanks a bunch, Tim! We love Woapalanee (translates as "Bald Eagle"), here in Williamsport. Kindest wishes, Gene
Eti Reid
This is good to know Gene, I am now curious where the BC one is located:)
Gene Walls replied:
I did a little research and found that Wolf Toth did not complete his goal of creating a Wispering Giant for each province in Canada. There was one in Vancouver, Washington. Sadly, it had to be removed a few years ago because it was rotting from the inside, due to termite infestation. Instead of creating any new Giants, Wolf has been refurbishing the older ones to prevent any more from being lost to the elements. So far, 3 out of 74 have been lost. His last new Giant was done in Délegyháza, Hungary in 2008. It is a tribute to St Stephan I, King of Hungary. Our Chief Woapalanee is one of the statues that was in danger of rotting away. It was fully restored and sealed with a protective finish a few years ago. The closest Whispering Giants to you can be found in Winnepeg Beach, Manitoba and two are in Oregon. Best regards, Gene
Eti Reid
THis is the most beautiful totem I have ever seen! Amazing details too Gene!f/v
Gene Walls replied:
Thank you very much, Eti! The sculptor, Peter Wolf Toth, has created more than 70 of these great tributes to the First Peoples and Native Americans. There is at least one in every US State and in each Canadian province. We all love our Chief Woapalanee here in Williamsport. Kindest wishes, Gene
Angela Davies
What an awesome totem and lovely capture, great information! FV
Gene Walls replied:
Thank you most kindly, Angie! This is one of the "Whispering Giants" by sculptor, Peter Toth. Our community is very proud to be a part of Toth's "Trail of the Wispering Giants". Kindest wishes, Gene Kindest regards, Gene
Byron Snider
Wow, that is an impressive sculpture, great information to go with the image fv
Gene Walls replied:
Thanks, Byron! It really is an amazing work of art. The artists, Peter Toth, has traveled all over North America producing these wonderful statues called "Trail of the Whispering Giants". We are very proud to have one of his "Giants" in our little city. Kindest regards, Gene