Contests over how western history should be interpreted, remembered, and commemorated became important battlegrounds in the culture wars of the late 1970s to the early 1990s. In progressive cities like Portland, Oregon, pioneer monuments became sites of public debates about multiculturalism and the legacy of white settlers’ seizure of Native people’s lands. Meanwhile, in more conservative communities in the interior West struggling with a farm crisis and outmigration, pioneer monuments became a popular way for communities to celebrate early white settlers and declare their intention to persist amid hardships.
You can also view monuments erected from 1975 through 1995 plotted on a map:
map
This data’s source.
