TERRE HAUTE —
Terre Haute’s mystic Tootooch, or “Thunderbird,” is getting a much-needed makeover.
The 20-foot totem pole that faces South Sixth and Washington streets is getting a fresh paint job and being restored from the inside out.
“It’s part of our history,” said Tracy Pruitt, owner of Pruitt Properties, which is donating the restoration work on the 72-year-old piece of art. “This is a historic landmark.”
It has been at least 10 years since the totem pole, which stands on the front lawn of the Vigo County Historical Society building at 1411 S. Sixth St., was last restored, Pruitt estimated. He and a crew of several of his employees are all donating their time to restore the longtime Terre Haute treasure.
“It’s in pretty bad shape,” Pruitt said while looking at the totem pole on Wednesday afternoon.
He hopes the restoration work will be completed today – well ahead of the Farrington’s Grove neighborhood block party, which is scheduled for Sunday afternoon on the Historical Society lawn.
Several employees of Pruitt Properties, which does restoration work, were pulling rotted wood from inside the totem pole Wednesday. They plan to use a leaf blower to dry the inside of the pole and then fill the hollow sections with foam and chalk, Pruitt said.
“The wood’s rotting inside,” Pruitt said. A hole in the top of the totem pole has been allowing rain to enter the pole, he said. That will now be closed, Pruitt added.
The exterior of the totem pole will also get a fresh coat of paint, Pruitt said. There are seven different colors and they will all be matched to the original colors, he said.
Tootooch is the name of the winged “thunderbird” at the top of the totem pole. According to Sacred-Texts.com, an online archive of books about religion, mythology and folklore, Tootooch is a “powerful, mystic emblem having its origin among the native tribes of British Columbia” in Canada.
“Keep this emblem always and you will be under the protection of the Thunder Bird wherever you may be. It will bring you the best that life has to offer. Your business dealings will prosper, the course of your love will run smooth and goodwill toward your fellow creatures will fill your heart and will be returned a hundredfold,” the website states.
Totem poles were never known to be a part of the culture of native tribes in this part of North America. Rather, they were – and continue to be – part of the culture of American Indian tribes from the Northwest.
The Vigo County Historical Society’s totem pole came to the area thanks to Mrs. Chapman J. Root, who ordered the pole produced for the family’s Allendale estate in the 1930s. According to past editions of Terre Haute newspapers, the pole was made from a pine tree that had grown in southern California and was transported here aboard a railroad flatcar.
Pine is a soft wood, which has contributed to the deterioration of the totem pole, Pruitt noted.
The totem pole was carved by C. Huston Isaacs, an industrial arts and science teacher at Sarah Scott Junior High School, and his friend, Charles Eggleston. The totem pole was placed in a wooded and floral area of the Root estate in Allendale and stayed there until 1963, when it was moved to the Historical Society property as gift from the Root family.
At the base of the pole, Isaacs and Eggleston carved a bear, a symbol of strength. Above the bear is the figure of a “tribal ancestor” holding a box containing the sun, moon and stars. Atop them both – and several smaller figures – is Tootooch, the powerful thunderbird god.
“People kind of associate the totem pole with the [Historical Society] building,” said Barbara Carney, assistant director of the Historical Society museum.
Pruitt, a life member of the Historical Society, said he recalls seeing the totem pole when his mother would bring him to the historical museum years ago. He still has a postcard produced locally showing the totem pole decades ago, he said. An image of the card can be seen online at www.cardcow.com.
“It’s not every day you restore a totem pole,” Pruitt said. “I think it’s important. It’s history.”
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
News
Related Photos
-
Wingspan: Tom Eversole reaches to the tip of the wing on the totem pole in front of the Vigo County Historical Museum Wednesday afternoon. He and a crew are in the process of restoring the piece after it has suffered from weather changes over the years.
-
Dig it: Tom Eversole is part of a restoration crew from Pruitt Properties Restoration that is in the process of repairing the totem pole at the Vigo County Historical Museum.
-
Historical: A Pruitt Properties crew works to repair and restore the totem pole standing in the front of the Vigo County Historical Museum.
-
Restoration: A crew works to repair and restore the totem pole in front of the Vigo County Historical Museum on Wednesday afternoon.
-
I care: Tracy Pruitt talks with Tribune-Star reporter Arthur Foulkes as he watches his restoration crew work on the totem pole at the Vigo County Historical Museum on Wednesday afternoon.
Discussion
72-year-old totem pole gets makeover
20-foot totem pole stands in front of Vigo County Historical Society
- News
-
-
Montford Point Marine
In 1943, 19-year-old Ezell Odom was on the sandy beach of a tiny South Pacific island about 7,000 miles from his parent’s home in Terre Haute.
-
K-9 officer Shadow honored as a hero
A Terre Haute K-9 officer injured in the line of duty has been honored as a hero by the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.
-
Freezin’ for a Reason
Hundreds lined up outside Hulman Center amid frigid air to participate in a warm-hearted cause.
-
Even as law, right-to-work dominates crackerbarrel
The flames of the right-to-work debate were gone, but the coals still seemed to smolder.
-
Vigo School Board to give OK on bonds for DeVaney project
The Vigo County School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the administration building, 686 Wabash Ave.
-
Bridging the gap to ‘forever’
They can be taken from their homes by strangers for reasons they may not understand, with no possessions other than the clothes they are wearing.
-
Students showcase keen problem-solving skills at Rose-Hulman
For the 16th straight year, Honey Creek Middle School students came out on top in the Wabash Valley MATHCOUNTS competition at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
-
Ivy Tech to celebrate Black History Month
Ivy Tech Community College will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events at its campuses statewide.
-
Giant welcome home for Steve
Terre Haute was suddenly home to thousands of cheering New York Giants fans Friday as residents welcomed Super Bowl champion Steve Weatherford back home for a parade.
-
‘One for Terre Haute,’ Steve tells crowd at North
“This one was for Terre Haute,” native son Steve Weatherford proclaimed Friday as he shared his Super Bowl victory with the community that helped send him on the path to a world championship.
-
Hometown support vital to success, Weatherford says
Steve Weatherford said Friday he wouldn’t be celebrating a Giants’ Super Bowl victory if not for the support he’s received from his hometown, his parents and mentors in his life.
-
Craning for a rare glimpse
A visitor from the Far East has naturalists flying to Linton, hoping some good comes from one bird’s bad directions.
-
Vigo’s primary election filings complete
The slate is set for the May 8 primary election, with the race for three at-large seats on the Vigo County Council drawing the largest pool of candidates at the county level.
-
Documentary on electric vehicles plays Sunday at Rose
The rising popularity of electric vehicles and their impact on the world eco-system is the focus of a documentary, “Revenge of the Electric Car,” being presented at 3 p.m. Sunday in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Hatfield Hall Theater.
-
Man gets 10-year sentence in battery case
A West Terre Haute man received a 10-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to aggravated battery for beating a friend caught in bed with the man’s wife.
-
Slow drips: It’s maple syrup season in Indiana
More seasonal, colder temperatures will hit the Wabash Valley this weekend, which is ideal weather for maple syrup production, said Keith Ruble, superintendent of the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department.
However, Ruble voices concern that this year’s maple syrup season may be short.
-
Downtown restaurant celebrates expansion
The streets of Terre Haute were chilly Thursday night, but for the glow of hot pasta inside Louise’s Pizzeria and Cafe.
-
Contract signed for new Y
Papers are signed and the ink is in place for a new YMCA to operate in Terre Haute.
-
City to impose $30 release fee on towed vehicles
The Terre Haute City Council voted without opposition Thursday to impose a new $30 release fee on vehicles towed and impounded by the police as part of a criminal investigation.
-
Valley educators cautious on Indiana’s ‘No Child’ waiver
Indiana is one of 10 states to receive a waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements.
-
Driver dies after Illinois school bus crash
“Brace yourself. Brace yourself,” Fay Pickering shouted to her students just before the school bus she was driving crossed U.S. 40 and landed in a ditch Thursday morning.
-
Trial date set for former WTH police chief
A July 23 trial date has been set for a former police chief of West Terre Haute accused of theft.
-
Motorcycle gang member pleads guilty in federal court
A member of an Indianapolis motorcycle gang who delivered methamphetamine to a Terre Haute dealer has pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal court.
-
July trial date set for mother charged with child neglect
A July 30 trial date has been set for a Terre Haute mother charged with neglecting and battering her toddler.
-
Business hosting SPPRAK fundraiser
Java Haute is hosting the latest fundraiser sponsored by SPPRAK — Special People Performing Random Acts of Kindness.
-
Valley high school cooking competition under way today
Clabber Girl Corp. and Gordon Food Services will host the fourth-annual High School Chef Competition, beginning today through Saturday, and again Feb. 18, in the Culinary Classroom at Clabber Girl.
-
Leslie leaving Terre Haute Chamber
The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce today notified members that Rachel Leslie, Chamber executive vice president, has accepted a position as director of advancement operations for St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.
-
Terre Haute road name game
What used to be called U.S. 40 from the Wabash River west through West Terre Haute to Interstate 70 needs to be renamed and, probably, get new street addresses, a Vigo County planner recommends.
-
MARK BENNETT: William Henry Harrison taught us how to campaign
William Henry Harrison is running for president, again.
It seems impossible, because today would be his 239th birthday, and America has never elected a deceased person to the Oval Office. -
Air National Guard cuts won’t hit 181st Intelligence Wing
The Air National Guard is taking the lion’s share of planned cuts announced last week by the U.S. Air Force. But no cuts are currently expected at Terre Haute’s 181st Intelligence Wing. In fact, the nation’s evolving defense strategy may spell growth at the local base.
- More News Headlines
-
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Androgynous Model Walks Runway As Man and Woman
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Snow Strands Italian Towns
Raw Video: Rough Seas Stop Oil Removal
Latest Jason Wu Collection Shows Chinese Roots
ShowBiz Minute: Madonna, Beresford-Redman, Pawsc
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
The Pits: Israelis Spit Olives for Glory
Stars Show Support at AMFAR Charity Gala
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Romney Tops Santorum in CPAC Straw Poll
First glimpse of Blue Ivy Carter
Absolute Lin-sanity
Hate to be Rude: Bubba Watson
Peek inside Barbie's closet
Test on Comforter in Powell Unit Shows Blood
Angry Dad Shoots Teens Laptop
Hero Driver Saves Kids From Burning Bus
Funeral to be held for Powell boys
Sandusky on having to stay inside and people turning on him
Woolly Mammoth Caught on Camera?
Did JLo 'Assault' Marc Anthony on Camera?
Christie Brinkley's Runway Slip
Toddler forced to run half-naked in snow
Halle Wants to Leave the Country
Northern Lights shine above earth
Plane makes perfect belly landing
