ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis suburb remains in the running for a controversial statue that features the Native American guide Sacagawea, but the fundraising drive to pay for its relocation is lagging, and Osage Nation representatives have urged the city to abandon the effort.
St. Charles officials submitted a proposal last month to Charlottesville, Virginia, for that city’s statue of explorers Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their Shoshone guide, Sacagawea. Charlottesville removed the bronze sculpture, titled Their First View of the Pacific, in July, along with statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, following protests. Critics say the Lewis and Clark statue depicts Sacagawea in a cowering or “subservient” position.
St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer has enthusiastically championed the effort to seek the statue, but last week downplayed the city’s chances to claim the sculpture.
