Fountain of the Great Lakes

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

When I was in Chicago on my book tour, I stopped by to see the 

"Fountain of the Great Lakes" 

sculpture in the south garden at the Art Institute.

This allegorical sculpture by Lorado Taft has five women holding vessels representing the five 

Great Lakes. 

The water flows from one to the next, just like the water flows through the Great Lakes. The uppermost woman represents Lake Superior, and the lowest represents Lake Ontario. This final figure gazes off into the distance as she reaches out with her hand, representing Lake Ontario flowing out to the North Atlantic Ocean.

On the day I visited, the Lake Ontario lady had a winged visitor.

This bronze was created between 1907-1913.