When you are in Dublin, Ohio area, you should go see the Leatherlips Monument since it is a fascinating roadside site that you should not miss. The subject of this sculpture is a Wyandot Native American chief, and it was fashioned out of slabs of limestone. Because he was known to keep every promise he made, the chief was given the nickname “Leatherlips,” which literally means “lips of leather.” Although Leatherlips strove for peaceful coexistence with the European settlers, his people were forced to sign a treaty that resulted in the loss of the majority of their territory. In the end, Leatherlips was put to death as a result of the unpopular position he had regarding how people can co-exist peacefully. The artwork has a height of around 12 feet and is situated so that it overlooks Scioto Park.

Visitors can easily step on the head of the renowned Wyandot Indian chief, who is represented by a sculpture fashioned out of native limestone slabs. According to the plaque that accompanied the portrait, Chief Leatherlips was born in “was a trusted friend to both the white man and the Indian community. Chief Leatherlips was known by the Wyandots by the name SHA-TE-YAH-RON-YA, which literally translates to “the same size as blue.”” Leatherlips was the name given to him by the white settlers in the area because of “his remarkable trait of never breaking a promise.”

The Dublin Arts Council gave Boston artist Ralph Helmick the commission to create the piece, and on July 1, 1990, they held a dedication ceremony for it in Scioto Park. The Leatherlips Monument is a portrait that is twelve feet high and depicts the chief with his hair blown back and fading into the hillside. This depiction is similar to the profile of Chief Crazy Horse in South Dakota. Limestone slabs are mortared together to construct the head, which is oriented in a way that looks west toward the Scioto River.

Visitors are able to pose on top of the chief thanks to the easy access provided to the chief’s back. There is a widespread consensus that Chief Leatherlips established his final hunting camp in this very location. Because he was considered to be too friendly with the white settlers, he was beheaded with a tomahawk in the year 1810 on the instructions of his brother, Roundhead. Also, for practicing witchcraft.

Located a few miles further north on Riverside Drive, at the intersection of Stratford Avenue, is the more historic Leatherlips Monument. It marks his grave, which was unknown at the time, but became recognized when the foundation of the monument was constructed, and workers inadvertently unearthed his bones. This is what the marker looks like.

Pins Mechanical Company
Stoltz Memorials of Dublin