The eagle statue was a gift to the citizens of Kootenai County from the Rankin family and was unveiled during the dedication of the plaza on May 30, 2005. A rather spontaneous and inspired addition to the plaza, it recognizes Ron Rankin's love of the American bald eagle and all that it symbolizes. Family members young and old contributed financially to the purchase of the statue, including a grandson who emptied his baseball savings to help the effort. When it came time to place the eagle and pedestal, teenager Mark Altman rallied his scout troop to prepare the site, earning the rank of Eagle Scout for his role. Les Schwab Tires in Post Falls lent a truck to transport the eagle from Spokane and the equipment to sandblast it prior to painting. Ron Nilson of Ground Force Mfg. provided a trailer and fork lift and the crew to place it in the plaza. There are three plaques on the pedestal. The front facing plaque notes the name of the plaza. On the north side is a quote by Abraham Lincoln that sums up what Commissioner Rankin envisioned the plaza to represent to all who passed through. The south side plaque is a reminder of what he was passionate about during a life of advocacy... Vox Populi, voice of the people.
