The Hiker

This Hiker (1911) is a 108-inch-tall bronze figure of a white male volunteer soldier. He strides forward with his left leg before his right and stares directly at the Federal Building. His arms are at his hips holding a Krag–Jørgensen rifle; his right hand, palm side down, grasps the end of the gun, and his left hand, palm side up, the barrel. He has a canteen, slung over his left shoulder, and a satchel, slung over his right shoulder. The satchel has imprinted on two crossed rifles and the words “US VOL” (US Volunteer Army). The canteen and satchel rest on his lower back. A cartridge belt is strapped to his waist, guiding the viewer’s eye to identify his slight contrapposto pose. He wears a button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his bicep, revealing veined, strong, arms. He sports a campaign hat; his trousers are tucked into lace-up calf-height boots—equipped for Caribbean weather and terrain. The figure is standing on a 72-inch rough-hewn angular base. This rough texture channels the “Rough Rider”—the name given to the 1st US Volunteer Army—and the difficult terrain they had to cross during the Spanish-American War.

On the front of the Hiker’s base, there is a bronze plaque of a cross that states (at each cardinal point) “CUBA,” “PORTO-RICO,” “U.S.A.,” and “PHILIPPINE ISLANDS” in a clockwise direction. Inside the cross, the words “Spanish War Veterans 1898-1902” encircle a medallion of two white men—a sailor with a sword and a Rough Rider with a rifle—both weapons aim upward as they stare into each other’s eyes. In between them is a barefooted kneeling woman, with both arms stretched outward as she faces the Rough Rider. They appear to be on the shore, as the ocean is in the background and a gunboat floats in the distance. It is the first of 21 Hikers that include a relief plaque. Therefore, it is uncertain if Kitson designed it herself. On the back of the base, there is a framed bronze plaque that recounts the historical reasons for this monument and names the monument’s sponsors.