Madonna of the Trail

In 1911, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) established a national committee known as the National Old Trails Road Committee whose work was, primarily, to definitively establish the Old Trails Road as a great National Memorial Highway. In 1912 the National Old Trails Road Association was organized, and the roadway became known as the National Old Trails Road. Its leader, Judge (and future U.S. president) Harry S. Truman, guaranteed the expense of the erection of the monuments, and a design was finalized in 1927.

"They were just as brave or braver than their men because, in many cases, they went with sad hearts and trembling bodies. They went, however, and endured every hardship that befalls a pioneer." Harry S. Truman at Ohio dedication ceremony

Truman, at that time the President of the National Old Trails Association, was also on hand in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on September 27, 1928, to dedicate the statue there. This monument was re-dedicated 44 years later on September 27, 1972.