The Madonna of the Trail stands in Lamar

In Lamar, near where US 50 and US 287 meet, stands a statue called the Madonna of the Trail. It shows a pioneer woman holding a baby, with a young child at her side. It is one of twelve such statues placed in the late 1920s by the Daughters of the American Revolution, one in each state along an old cross-country route known as the National Old Trails Road.

The statue marks Lamar’s place on the Santa Fe Trail. In the 1800s this part of the plains was a crossing point for wagons hauling trade goods, and the town later grew as the railroad arrived. The nearby welcome center ties these threads together, with information about the trail and the area’s history.

It makes a simple, worthwhile stop. You can see the statue in a few minutes, then use the welcome center to plan the rest of a day along the Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway, which runs right through town.

Like a lot of plains history, the statue tells one part of a much larger story. The same ground was home and travel route to many peoples long before the wagons came, and the welcome center is a good place to start sorting out the fuller picture.

To plan a visit and learn the trail history, start with the National Park Service Santa Fe Trail pages and the Lamar welcome center.