Bunk Baxter: Alligator Wrestler

 - Scott Shaffer
Sculpture (EXTERIOR)

Orange County Regional History Center

About the Artwork

"Bunk Baxter" is a remarkably realistic life-sized sculpture of a man wrestling an alligator. Two additional sculptures of alligators are placed near the fountain of Heritage Square. Francis “Bunk Baxter” was the son of Sean Baxter, an Irish fur trader who migrated from Canada to Oklahoma, where he married a Cherokee woman named Mary. Sean and Mary Baxter relocated to Florida. How their son, Francis, became “Bunk” remains a mystery. He lived for a time in the Bunker Hill area near Christmas in East Orange County, but no one knows whether his nickname came from the place or the place was named for him. He married a Cherokee woman named Mary Elizabeth Byrd, with whom he had three children. In 1884, when he was photographed with the alligator on Orange Avenue, Baxter ran a meat market in Orlando. He owned a large ranch in East Orange County, with orange groves and beef cattle, and he caught and skinned alligators for additional profit. He later moved his family across the St. Johns River to start a ranch near Mims. Bunk Baxter died in 1923 at the age of 69, but some of his descendants still live near Geneva.

About the Artist

Scott Shaffer
Scott was intrigued with nature and it's complexities at an early age, which led him to earn a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology. This training makes itself evident in the intricate detail that has become the trademark of his sculptures. "I Believe that the detail that separates one species from another is nature's art. I attempt to portray my subjects in the most realistic fashion possible; so that nothing detracts from the inherent beauty of the animal." Scott began sculpting in 1987, at the age of 24. He is a Colorado Native, and currently makes his home in Grand Junction, Colorado. In January of this year, Scott's work was profiled by Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting in their series Western Bounty. His work can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Public purchases include a life-size American Alligator installed at the University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in honor of the school's 1996 National Football Championship; Florida historical figure Bunk Baxter and three alligators commissioned for the Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando, Florida; and most recently, his Brown Pelican entitled "The Port Authority" was purchased by the Loveland Sculpture Group for donation to the City of Loveland, Colorado.