American Art Collaborative

The obverse of Paul Manship's medal depicts a freighter delivering raw materials to Cleveland's factories. A towering central figure likely represents Moses Cleaveland, a member of the surveying party that established the city in 1796. By 1920, Cleveland was the fifth largest city in the United States. The words progress and enlightenment refer to the city's leadership in the Progressive Movement, which advocated social change through science, education, and industry. On the reverse, an allegorical figure of abundance symbolizes the agricultural products that flowed through Cleveland and out to the nation by way of canals, railways, and the Great Lakes