TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A totem pole that has been a part of the Vigo County Historical Museum collection for years is getting some attention and a face-lift.

 

A crane recently removed the Thunderbird totem pole, called Tootooch, from its longtime perch in front of the Vigo County Historical Society and Museum in Terre Haute.

 

The restoration project will include repainting its seven original colors and then when complete, the pole will be moved to the new Vigo County Historical Museum location on Wabash Avenue.

 

The pole was carved in the 1930s from a California-grown pine tree at the request of Mrs. Chapman J. Root and moved on a railcar to her family’s Vigo County estate.

 

It remained there until 1963, when it was moved to the historical society’s property as a gift from the Root family.