Wooden Model of Overland Stage c. 1937

Lucille Chabot painted this wooden model of an Overland Stage with watercolor. The stagecoach, emblazoned with ‘U.S. Mail,’ embodies connection and progress, traversing vast landscapes and linking distant communities. The wheel, a prominent motif, resonates deeply within our collective psyche. From ancient sun-wheels symbolizing cosmic order to the Buddhist Dharma wheel representing spiritual law, its cyclical nature speaks to time's relentless passage and the eternal recurrence of life, death, and rebirth. Here, the wheels suggest not only movement and advancement but also the hopes, dreams, and anxieties carried within that stagecoach. Just as the stagecoach connected disparate points, the wheel connects us to civilizations long past. Its continual revolution, a testament to human ingenuity and our ceaseless striving for progress, forever imprinted upon our cultural memory.