Pioneer Plaza

A large public park in the Convention Center District of Downtown Dallas, Pioneer Plaza is a heavily visited tourist site. The plaza features a large sculpture that commemorates the 19th-century cattle drives that took place along the Shawnee Trail (passing through Austin, Waco and Dallas), the earliest and easternmost route for Texas longhorn cattle to reach the northern railheads until the Chisolm Trail rerouted traffic in 1867. Created by artist Robert Summers, the sculpture includes sculptures of 70 six-foot-high bronze steer and three trail riders, making it the largest bronze monument of its kind in the world. The dramatic and expansive sculpture collection is set along an artificial ridge and past a manmade limestone cliff, native landscaping with a flowing stream and a waterfall. Adjacent to the plaza is the Pioneer Park Cemetery, which features the Confederate War Memorial; together the two make up the largest public open space in the Dallas central business district.

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