Charles Ostner immigrated from Austria to find his fortune in Idaho. He was working in the Florence area when he decided to make a grand gesture for his new home territory.
Ostner had some patience. It took him four years to carve the wooden statue of George Washington astride a horse that stands on the fourth floor of the Idaho statehouse today. Ostner modeled the statue in snow before committing it to pine. He studied the likeness of George Washington on a postage stamp to get the face right.
Ostner donated the statue to Idaho Territory in 1869. The Legislature granted him $2,500 for the work. It stood outside the statehouse for 65 years, before it was brought inside and gilded. It stood for years outside of the attorney general’s office, giving the secretary behind those glass doors an unobstructed view of the tail end of a golden horse. The statue was moved to the fourth floor during the 2007 renovation of the building.
Ostener died in 1913 and is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.
Ostner had some patience. It took him four years to carve the wooden statue of George Washington astride a horse that stands on the fourth floor of the Idaho statehouse today. Ostner modeled the statue in snow before committing it to pine. He studied the likeness of George Washington on a postage stamp to get the face right.
Ostner donated the statue to Idaho Territory in 1869. The Legislature granted him $2,500 for the work. It stood outside the statehouse for 65 years, before it was brought inside and gilded. It stood for years outside of the attorney general’s office, giving the secretary behind those glass doors an unobstructed view of the tail end of a golden horse. The statue was moved to the fourth floor during the 2007 renovation of the building.
Ostener died in 1913 and is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.
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