This statue os one of many replicas based on the one created in 1906 by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson. It was in Minnesota. The Gorham Manufacturing Company bought the rights to the statue in 1921. They have since cast over 50 of them. It is rumored that Leonard Sefing Jr, Spanish-American War veteran, was the model for the sculpture. Spanish-American War veterans used to call themselves "Hikers", hence the name of the sculpture. That dedication message is inscribed on the front of statue.
The New Orleans based Hiker Statue was purchased in 1939 and was originally placed at the intersection of North Claiborne and Canal Street. It is currently located the intersection of Loyola Avenue and Poydras Streets, where it has been since the mid 60s.
It is made of bronze and is it meant to honor the Louisiana soldiers and sailors who served in the 1898 Spanish-American War, the related Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) and the China Relief Expedition (1900).
The statue is located in the middle of the road on a grass median behind a bus stop. You need to use caution if you are going to walk over there and use the crosswalk. There is a bunch of commercial parking lots and metered street parking available in reasonable walking distance of the monument.
Anyway, this will probably not be a long since since that is not much there other than the statue. You should consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful attractions in the area, such as the SuperDome, to maximize your time and trip. read more