Dionico Rodriguez

Dionico Rodriguez is the sculptor of the Old Mill in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Old Mill is famous for its appearance in the opening shot of the film Gone with the Wind.

Rodriguez was born on April 11, 1891, in Toluca, Mexico. He learned to sculpt faux wood forms into concrete in Mexico City, Mexico, before moving to San Antonio, Texas, in the 1920s. He was commissioned by North Little Rock developer Justin Matthews to create sculpture for several local parks in the 1930s, including Crestview Park, Lakewood Park, and T. R. Pugh Memorial Park where the Old Mill stands.

References

• Patsy Pittman Light, Capturing Nature: The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodgriguez (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2008).
• Bill Worthen, "Artist's Old Mill in North Little Rock Grist for Book," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 27, 2008.