Work could start in spring on Black Hawk statue repairs

OREGON, Ill. (AP) - Organizers say repair work could begin next spring on the century-old Black Hawk statue in northern Illinois as they are less than $90,000 short of their fundraising goal.

Repairs on the 48-foot-tall (14.5-meter-tall) concrete statute in Lowden State Park are estimated to cost $600,000. Sauk Valley Media reports Black Hawk Restoration Team member Roger Cain says the group has $210,000 of the $300,000 needed for contracts to be signed.

That money will match a $350,000 grant approved by state lawmakers in late May.

A protective plastic shroud was removed in June, after which additional cracks were found. Cain says he's uncertain whether the statue will be wrapped again this winter to protect it.

Sculptor Lorado Taft created the statue in 1910 as a tribute to Native Americans.

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Information from: Sauk Valley Media, http://www.saukvalley.com