"Kandiyohi"

The Indian image known as Kandiyohi first became part of Willmar in 1915, when it appeared as the Kandiyohi County Bank symbol. That same year, artist Eben E. Lawson, commissioned by the bank, created Kandiyohi, a smaller sculpture that became the basis for the larger statue. In 1929, Chief Kandiyohi, a nickname given to the Indian symbol even though there never was a chief by that name, found a home with the Bank of Willmar after several bank mergers. Bank of Willmar President Norman Tallakson contracted to have the 17-foot statue made in 1956, and it was mounted on the bank overlooking Litchfield Avenue for 27 years. On July 25, 1983, the statue was moved to this site after First American Bank and Trust of Willmar donated it to the City of Willmar and Kandiyohi County.

Willmar, Minnesota · United States