The statue of a 19th-century northern California meat-packing magnate was decapitated earlier this week in Sacramento.
The nearly century-old granite likeness of Charles Swanston, a rancher, sits in the state capital’s William Land Park.
His head was found Monday on the ground nearby.
The Sacramento Police Department said it had received a report of the vandalism and that “detectives are investigating [the] incident and are seeking any information that may help in their investigation.”
The head of the Charles Swanston statue rests on the ground near a bush in William Land Park on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, in Sacramento, California, the day after it was believed to have been vandalized. The statute of a 19th-century Northern California meat-packing magnate was beheaded earlier this week.
(Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)
Callers with information regarding the investigation, who can remain anonymous, may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
The Associated Press said that authorities are looking into whether the culprit – or culprits – took issue with Swanston.
Sacramento City Historian Marcia Eymann told the news agency that Swanston had traveled to the Golden State as part of the Gold Rush and realized he could make more money as a butcher.
“I have no idea why anyone, unless they’re vegetarians and didn’t like meat-packers” would do this to the statue, Eymann said Wednesday. “I find this very bizarre.”
The California State Capitol on Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Sacramento, California.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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The statue was erected by the late San Francisco Great Depression era sculptor Ralph Stackpole.
Additionally, a muralist and painter, Stackpole – who was the first West Coast-based appointee to the Commission of Fine Arts – passed away in 1973.
The historic statue of Charles Swanston, its head recently decapitated, stands in William Land Park on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, in Sacramento, California.
(Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)
Swanston’s son commissioned the statue – which is part of a fountain – in the 1920s and donated it to the city after his father’s death in 1911, according to The Sacramento Bee.
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The Swanston family ranch was located in William Land Park.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
