Hey friend – welcome back to another post! Today, we’re looking at a statue in Carney, Oklahoma that honors World War I Doughboys. The statue sits in the Woody Wilson Memorial Park.
Highway 177 intersects the town of Carney. I have driven up and down that highway many times, but never pulled off to drive through the actual town of Carney. It was cool to stop and look around to find this statue!
*All photos in this post were taken by myself in Carney, Oklahoma.
WWI Doughboy Statue
Claude Fisher completed this statue in 1940 to honor the WWI troops who were known as Doughboys. The Doughboy stands at attention with his rifle directly in front of him. He has both hands wrapped around the barrel of the gun with the butt resting on the ground in front of him.
The Doughboy stands atop a concrete base that was decorated with rocks. The plaque reads: “In memory of our boys – 1917 & 1918.”
According to waymarking.com, Claude Fisher’s son said his father made the framework of the statue using metal car parts. He would then take the bag that the cement came in and use it to form the body. Finally, he would pour the concrete, let it partially set, and mold it before it dried completely.
This process took a lot of time, patience, and talent. The statue still looks great today in 2023!
Other Signs in Woody Wilson Memorial Park
There were a few other signs in this memorial so I have included a few photos below!
Carney, Oklahoma – Designated A Bicentennial City
“Carney began with the opening of Iowa Sac and Fox Indian lands in 1891. Because of a large water spring, it was an over night camp site for freight and stage lines between Guthrie and Chandler. The town was named for Carney Staples, surveyor and first store keeper. His wife was the first acting post master.”
Dedicated June 19, 1976
Concluding Thoughts
This was fun road tip for me and the statue was really cool to see! I hope you’ll look up the historical statues in your area and pay them a visit!
Happy Traveling! I’ll talk to ya soon! 🙂
Visit
Woody Wilson Memorial Park
300th Block S. Main St.
Carney, Oklahoma 74832
Sources
The Doughboy – Woody Wilson Mem. Park – Carney, OK – Waymarking.com
Kaitlyn Weldon, M.A. 