Leatherlips Monument

A popular place for senior pictures. Not much to do here except walk along riverside and see the native american monument, which is very unique.

This is in Scioto Park off of Riverside Drive just south of the zoo. A really nice park right on the Scioto River. There is a small amphitheater here, the Leatherlips Monument (Chief of the local Indian Tribe), three nice big shelters, a large open field, playground and river access.
The shelters are usually reserved on the weekends as this is a popular place, but don’t let that stop you from visiting this park. At any given time there are families, singles, outdoorsmen, fly fisherman and fitness buffs at the park. I have been here for summer camp as a kid, for scouting events and just for fun as an adult. Check it out and remember — give a hoot, don’t pollute!

This seems fairly lame, but i’ve actually had a soft spot for it for a long time. It’s much cooler in person than it seems in pictures. I used to go as a kid and pretend to be the hair of leatherlips even though I think that what is connecting him to the hillside is supposed to be his hair (which is a little creepy when you look at it like that).

There are quite a few «conversation pieces» of public art located throughout Dublin. These monumental artworks were an interesting effort on the part of the Dublin Arts Council to memorialize the local heritage of Native Americans and the town’s agricultural history.
A giant sculpture of the head of local chieftan, Leatherlips was created by Boston artist Ralph Helmick and dedicated on July 1, 1990. He was nicknamed Leatherlips by the white settlers who knew him never to break a promise. The monument is a twelve-​foot high portrait, built in the general vicinity where Cheif Leatherlips is believed to have died.
Scioto Park, within which the sculpture is located, is located off Route 33 along the Scioto River. The sculpture recedes into the hillside — somewhat reminiscent of Chief Crazy Horse’s monument in South Dakota. Here, one can walk into the head to get a panoramic view of the park and river.
The Leatherlips Monument looms over the outdoor amphitheatre where the Dublin Arts Council hosts its summer music series. It’s a nifty stop off point if you are coming back toward town from the zoo.

I grew up listening to my Grandfather tell stories about «Old Chief Leatherlips». An interesting and important man, Leatherlips made treaties with the settlers and was eventually stoned to death by his Indian peers for it. Maybe not the best choice for a bed time story, but his name always made me giggle.
Growing up with Leatherlips lore is the main reason I wanted to see his monument. Located near the zoo in the Dublin/​Powell area this monument is a fun roadside find. A monument of just his head (really trying to play up the lips as a focal point?) glistens as Leatherlips gazes to the river. The monument is unique looking, I will give the artists’ that. Leatherlips face is filled out by brick looking stones and has a slicked back look.
What makes Leatherlips monument really odd however is the artist choice of letting the viewer walk into his head. While the front is filled in, the part that should hold Leatherlips brain is hollowed out and ready for visitors. Maybe they were trying to really get people to go inside the mind of Leatherlips, literally. Whatever the reason it does create an interesting photo op.
If you are heading to the zoo, a history buff, or have always desired to pop out of someones brain the monument to Leatherlips is your dream come true.