In the small Newman Park (4444 Magnolia Ave., Riverside) on the corner of Magnolia Ave. and 14th St. is a striking statue of the Spanish explorer Don Juan Bautista de Anza who was the first known person of European descent to visit the Riverside area. The statue was one of the federal WPA projects providing work during the great depression. It was sculpted by Sherman “Sherry” Peticolas and was completed in 1940. Of note, Ed Loustaunau, of Riverside, and a direct descendent of Anza’s brother Francisco served as the model. It is flanked by a curved etched wall designed by Dorr Bothwell showing the departure from Tubac, New Spain (now Arizona) in 1775 of the second De Anza expedition departing to blaze the first overland trail to California and establish the Presidio and a Mission within the future City of San Francisco. More information about the statue can be in a Press Enterprise article about the history of the statue and a webpage about New Deal projects.
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