On This Date In Twin Cities History - May 28, 1936

On this date in 1936, the Indian God of Peace sculpture is unveiled at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul.  The statue, created by Swedish sculptor, Carl Milles, stands 38 feet tall and weighs approximately 60 tons.  It was carved from creamy white Mexican onyx and is the largest carved onyx figure in the world.  The statue depicts five Indians with sacred pipes seated around a fire and a “god of peace” emerging from the smoke.  It was intended as a memorial to Minnesota’s 20th-century war dead.  In 1994 it was renamed Vision of Peace at a special ceremony involving three Minnesota Native American tribes.