Cattle King Of The Pecos Statue

Say hello to the “Cattle King of the Pecos” Mr. John Simpson Chisum.

This Bronze statue is 150% of the size of the subjects and located beside the visitor’s center in Roswell, New Mexico. The statue was sculpted by Robert T. Summers II and commissioned by the John Chisum Memorial Foundation. It was dedicated on March 24, 2001. The statue depicts a rider on horseback and one Longhorn steer.

Chisum was a wealthy cattle baron in the American West and in the mid-1870s was the largest cattle producer in the nation. He was one of the first to send his herds to the New Mexico Territory around 1867. He established a ranch at Bosque Grande between Fort Sumner and Roswell on the Pecos River.

There is an information board on Chisum located by the sculpture. The statue is an impressive piece of work worth a couple minutes of admiration. While you’re walking around Roswell hunting for aliens take a moment to appreciate this piece of art representing a little of the towns wild west roots.