The Carter Memorial Fountain
The Fountain is located in the middle of the central Plaza in downtown Ashland.
Information on the history of the fountain is available on line in a 2015 report by George Kramer prepared for the City of Ashland to discuss the history of the fountain and restoration options following vandalism in 2014.
The fountain was manufactured by the J.L. Mott company and donated by the children of Henry B. and Harriet H. Carter to the city in 1910. The statue of Pioneer Mike was designed by Allen G. Newman, a New York artist. The large base is cast iron. The Pioneer statue was originally done in zinc, and time and vandalism made it difficult to repair. Finally, vandalism in 2014 led to a decision to replace the zinc statue with one cast in bronze. Kramer located an existing replica of the statue in Storm Lake, Iowa. That city allowed a mold to be made of their statue, and the Ashland statue was cast in bronze from that mold. The renovated fountain was rededicated on July 2, 2016.
Henry Carter came to Ashland in 1884 and he and his children were prominent and successful business people. They were involved in opening the Bank of Ashland, the first bank in the city, and establishing Siskiyou Boulevard. Henry and Harriet are both interred in the Ashland Cemetery.