One of the most enduring images associated with Massapequa is the statue of a tall and mighty Native American warrior known to residents as Big Chief Lewis.
Lording over Sunrise Highway with a silent stoicism from behind his fenced enclosure, the fiberglass Chief sports a large feather headdress and holds out one hand in a gesture of greeting, the other cradling a peace pipe.
Flanked by a horse, buffalo, and totem pole, Big Chief Lewis was reportedly erected in May of 1968 next to the Big Chief Lewis building, an located at 4250 Sunrise Highway. The statue's creator was a gentleman named Rodman Shutt of Strasburg, Pa., who had created many such statues over the years.
According to popular legend, if you touch the totem pole next to Big Chief Lewis and make a wish, it just might come true...
Category: Monuments.
Price: Free.
Season: Year-round.
Come back next week to find out what No. 95 is.
