These names came about as Euro-Americans had a tendency to romanticize Native American peoples who they vanquished in the process of westward expansion.

Because neither the county nor the lake were within the Sauk people's territory, it is doubtful that they or Black Hawk ever visited this area.

After choosing Crescent Park as the location of the statue, Stinson created a 3-foot (0.91 m) model based on the body of a university student and the face of Moses Slick, a Native American from Tama, Iowa.

Based on this project, the University of Iowa created guidelines for other towns in the state who wanted to participate in the program.

[2] The city of Lake View also contributed to the effort, and the Civilian Conservation Corps prepared and landscaped the site.