The Madonna of the Trail honors the pioneer mothers of the covered wagon days. Big Timbers, extending eastward and westward along the Arkansas River for approximately twenty miles, was a place of historical lore noted for Indian lodges, shelter from storm and heat, food supply for beast, bivouac for expeditions, and the scene of many councils. The National Old Trails Road passed through this historic setting, which also included Bent’s New Fort, later Fort Wise, from 1852 to 1866.