A Hungarian immigrant and self-taught sculptor, Peter Wolf Toth has created a remarkable body of work over the course of the last thirty-four years. The wooden sculpture above looms above the corner of First Street and Berry Avenue in Winslow, Arizona (exit 253 on Interstate 40 on the north side of the highway).

This depiction of the face and headdress of a native American is part of Toth's "Trail of the Whispering Giants" that he started in 1971 and completed in 1988. There are 58 statues in the series. Originally he intended to create one for each state, and he added a few extras in Canada.

Toth started this monumental project as a tribute to native American culture. In his words, "This is my concept of the Indians of this area. I study the Indians of the area, then visualize an Indian within the log. It is a composite of all the native people of the state."

UPDATE October, 2010 Gerald Thurman reports that this sculpture has been moved to a brand new location. Here's a map of the new location:

View Peter Toth Totem Pole in Winslow, AZ in a larger map

More about Peter Toth's work:

Locations of many of the other statues
Worth a look -- they're amazing!

The "Whispering Giants" Web site

Toth's studio is near New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Examples of Toth's work in Akron, Ohio

Photographed by Gerald Thurman on November 1, 2004
Posted on RoadTrip America 9/05