October 22, 1887 – Standing Lincoln, Augustus Saint-Gaudens’
sculpture of the Great Emancipator, is dedicated at the entrance to Lincoln
Park. On the day after the dedication The Chicago Daily Tribune
describes the scene, “Since the night of the great fire Lincoln Park has never
contained within the same area so many human beings as thronged its plains,
clustered under its trees, and in every variety of vehicle crowded its roadways
yesterday afternoon.” [Chicago Daily Tribune, October 23, 1887] The statue, one of two sculptures in the city
(The other is Storks at Play in front of the Lincoln Park Conservatory)
provided for in the will of lumberman Eli Bates, is dedicated on a gray
afternoon. Chicago Mayor E. A. Roche heads the dignitaries, and Abraham
Lincoln II, the 15-year-old grandson of the late president, releases the flag
covering the statue as upwards of 10,000 people watch. The
statue is a good place to seek out in the next few weeks as the trees to the
north show their autumn colors. Stand before the likeness of a politician
who rose above the fray, made the hard choices, and ultimately paid for it with
his life. It gives one something to think about as we head toward
November.
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