Focus on Pioneer Woman and discuss the Depictions.
The image of the Pioneer Woman has long been a symbol of Ponca City.
In 1941 as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations the General Federation of Women's Clubs presented gold and bronze medals with a bas-relief of the Pioneer Woman to prominent and long-standing members.The statue is also the official emblem of the four-state Ozark Frontier Trail.When the State Quarter for Oklahoma was to be issued in 2008, there was a statewide call for proposals to be sent to the Mint for final design work. From the thousands of designs received, five were sent along to the mint. Four of the five submitted designs included the Pioneer Woman. When the professional designs returned from the mint in order for the people of Oklahoma to decide on the final design by voting amongst them, none of the designs included the book which is held under the Pioneer Woman's arm. As this book is often thought to be a Bible, this was viewed as an attempt at censorship by the government and caused a statewide controversy. Eventually the fifth design was selected.
That the book was intended to be the Bible was made clear by Baker in an interview in which he stated, "In trying to symbolize the Pioneer Woman of America I wanted to depict Courage and Faith ... The Bible was a vital factor in building up this country, and it often was the one indispensable book, recording the facts of the family life, of births, marriages and death and often the only reading material available for mothers to teach their children to read and write in those days."
Bible State Quarter Ponca City General Federation of Women's Clubs Oklahoma bas-relief Ozark Frontier Trail