Baker City, OR

This Boy and the Boot once stood in front of the county courthouse, and probably arrived the same year that it opened: 1908. The fountain in which he stood is still there, but the Boy was moved into the courthouse lobby on June 9, 1975. His formerly battered appearance has been repaired and given a gilded finish, and his protective glass showcase suggests that he should be viewed as a valuable work of art.

The boy has sixteen brother statues standing in various cities throughout the world, including ten in the United States, three in Canada, and one each in Sweden, Italy, and England.

One story behind the figure is that of a drummer boy during the Civil War who was responsible for taking care of fever stricken soldiers on the battlefield. He would fill his boot with water at a nearby creek and hold his thumb over the hole in the front part of his torn boot so he could bring drinking water back to the dying men.