Madison  County—Doughboy  Alan  J.  Bartels  

 

   This  soldier  seems  to  encourage  the  entire  student  body  and  the  community  to  

follow  him  in  service  of  our  country.  

Standing  in  front  of  the  junior  high  school  in  Norfolk  is  this  statue  of  a  soldier  called  to  battle.      It  honors  the  veterans  and  casualties  of  World  War  I  when  more  than  4.3  million  American  soldiers,  sometimes  called  “doughboys,”  went  to  war.    This  statue  is  attributed  to  Ernest  Moore  “Dick”  Viquesney,  a  son  and  grandson  of  French  immigrant  sculptors.    The  Viquesney  statues  are  entitled  Spirit  of  the  American  Doughboy  and  are  located  throughout  the  nation  in  front  of  courthouses,  city  halls,  post  offices,  and  other  public  buildings.    In  2012  students  and  veterans’  groups  raised  money  to  have  this  doughboy  monument  restored.    Famous  Norfolk  son  Johnny  Carson  attended  school  in  this  very  building  when  it  served  as  the  community's  high  school.  

Applicable  Nebraska  Social  Studies  Standards  (Grade  4):  Economics  Government  (4.2.10.a.  Identify  goods  and  services  funded  through  state  government)    Geography  The  World  in  Spatial  Terms  (4.3.1.a.  Read  local  and  state  maps  and  atlases  to  locate  physical  and  human  features  in  Nebraska)  Places  and  Regions  (4.3.2.c.  Identify  and  classify  regions  (e.g.  counties  and  cities  across  Nebraska)  Human  Systems  (4.3.4.a.  Compare  and  contrast  patterns  of  culture  within  the  state  of  Nebraska)    History  Chronological  Thinking  (4.4.1.d  Examine  the  chronology  of  historical  events  in  Nebraska  and  their  impact  on  the  past,  present  and  future)    Historical  Comprehension  (4.4.2.a.  Describe  and  explain  the  relationships  among  historical  events,  people,  ideas  and  symbols  including  various  culture  and  ethnic  groups  in  Nebraska  by  era)  and  (4.4.2.b.  Describe  how  Nebraska  and  the  Great  Plains  Region  have  changed  over  the  course  of  time  using  maps,  documents  and  other  artifacts)  Historic  Analysis  and  Interpretation  (4.4.4.e  Describe  the  relationships  among  historical  events  in  Nebraska  and  the  students’  lives  and  today)  Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,876. Its county seat is Madison. Madison County was named for James Madison, 4th President of the United States. Wikipedia

 

A  Few  Quick  Facts  About  Madison  County:  • Madison  County  was  founded  in  1867  • It  is  named  after  James  Madison,  the  4th  President  of  the  United  States  and  

also  as  a  tribute  to  the  capital  city  of  the  settlers’  former  home  in  Wisconsin  • The  area  of  Madison  County  is  575  square  miles  • Originally  the  County  Seat  was  in  Norfolk  but  after  a  later  dispute  and  vote,  

Madison  became  the  new  County  Seat  • The  gold  rush  to  the  Black  Hills  in  1876-­‐1878  meant  an  increase  in  business  

and  trade  in  Madison  County  with  trains  of  wagons  carrying  food  provisions  to  the  miners    

Discussion  Questions:  • Why  were  soldiers  of  WWI  called  doughboys?  • Who  was  James  Madison  and  what  did  he  accomplish?  

 Additional  Resources:    History  of  Madison  County  http://www.madisoncountyne.com/history/    National  Register  of  Historic  Places  http://www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/nebraska/madison.htm    Biography  of  Johnny  Carson  http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ca-­‐Ch/Carson-­‐Johnny.html    Origins  of  the  Doughboy  http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/origindb.htm      

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