Billy Frank Jr. statue model unveiled
By Terry Murry on Monday, January 15th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – A statue of the late Nisqually treaty-rights activist and defender of salmon Billy Frank Jr. will soon represent Washington state in the nation’s capitol. A model of the statue to be sent to Washington, D.C. was unveiled last week at the State Capitol Building and was created by Chinese-American sculptor Haiying Wu.
Wu will next make a full-scale clay model standing approximately nine feet tall. His design depicts Billy Frank Jr. smiling and seated comfortably at a river’s edge with leaping salmon and a traditional fishing net laid at his feet. Once completed, Wu’s full-scale statue design will be sent to a Washington state-based foundry to be cast in bronze twice.
One statue will be sent to National Statuary Hall within the U.S. Capitol which displays two statutes from each state. The statue of Billy Frank Jr. will replace the statue of missionary Marcus Whitman.
The other statue representing Washington state is of Mother Joseph, who in 1856 was chosen to lead a group of five missionaries to the Pacific Northwest Territories, where she was responsible for completing 11 hospitals, seven academies, five Indian schools, and two orphanages.
