Bears of Blue River

Bears of Blue River Statue

Completed and dedicated in 1929, the Bears of Blue River statue was designed and sculpted by Mary Elizabeth Stout after the city was willed $2,000 from Alice Shaw Major. The statue depicts the fictional character Balser Brent from the book The Bears of Blue River, which was written by Charles Major, Alice’s husband. As Stout was living in Paris while making the statue, a French boy served as a model for Balser. It originally stood at Charles Major School on East Franklin Street and was moved to Public Square in 1980.