The statue of Madeline Bertrand that was stolen from Madeline Bertrand County Park back in March and then returned in May has been restored and reinstalled at the park. Berrien County Parks Director Jill Adams tells us the statue’s original artist, Tuck Langland, has worked for months to repair the statue.
“It took a little bit of time because of the level of damage to the statue and the fact that the sculptor wanted to make sure it was reinforced when it was reinstalled,” Adams said. “So, on September 7 we met with Mr. Langland and his wife Janice and we were able to get Madeline Bertrand returned to her original position on the pedestal at the park.”
Adams says the final cost to the county for the reinstallation of the statue is $1,000. It will come out of the county parks endowment. She says the parks staff are disappointed they still don’t know who stole the statue, but they are thrilled it’s back in place. Madeline Bertrand was the daughter of a Potawatomi chief and French fur trader Joseph Bertrand and was born in the early 1800s. Adams says she’s of great significance to the area and to the park bearing her name.
