JACKSON HOLE, WYO – “I don’t think this needs to be a ‘Lucy and the Football’ thing,’” councilman Don Frank said regarding a proposed obelisk that the American Legion would like to put in the middle of the town square to replace the existing memorial monument.
Frank disagreed with his colleagues regarding how much red tape a replacement statue should go through, even one as prominent and potentially polemic as the current horse-and-rider smack in the heart of downtown.
“It was done in the 70s without great handwringing and bureaucracy,” Frank added, saying policy is fine but he saw no reason the statue could not be replaced by next year for the American Legion’s 100thanniversary. Other councilors said 2020 was a more realistic timeline given the need to parade the new look memorial past the art community and general populace for everyone to have their say.
How we got here
Town Council met Monday afternoon for a special meeting to discuss a project that would replace memorial statue at the center of the Town Square with a new base design.
The matter first came to the attention of the council on August 6, when Cliff Poindexter and Joe Burke from the American Legion Post 43 brought forth a request to remodel the existing monument because of crumbling mortar at the structure’s base and the need to update the names of those local veterans commemorated for serving. The statue now has 455 names but the Legion says there should be nearly a thousand to be recognized.
Post 43 assures it has the money (they’ve raised $69,000 for a job they say should run about $55k, max), the design (Nelson Engineering has been paid $5,000 to date to sketch out the idea), and the timeline (they’d like to get started next month in order to unveil Memorial Day 2019 for the American Legion’s 100th Anniversary).
Statue of limitations
But the proposal has become somewhat mired in shades of grey—namely, a lack of procedure for public monument replacement, and any one group willing to take the lead.
The Design Review Committee was first to take a whack at looking over the new statue but they ultimately didn’t feel comfortable getting involved. Senior planners said this wasn’t really something they should be tackling anyway.
The statue resides in George Washington Park (Town Square) so maybe it falls under the purview of the Parks & Rec? It’s board, too, felt uncomfortable reviewing design elements. That sounded more like public art.
So off to the Public Art Task Force (PATF) the project went where that advisory board did give its input but cautioned town leaders that established policy and procedure should be in place for things like this and, in fact, they went ahead and drafted some. The board also admitted hearing some consternation over the ‘modern’ look and materials proposed.
“There were concerns maybe the choice of materials did not fit with the western character of the community,” said Carrie Geraci, public arts director.
The materials and design were a conscious decision that allowed for the most cost-effective way to add names to the monument in the future. Ease of cleaning and a long-lasting product were also factors in coming up with the new-look base.
With refurbishment of the monument looking more like a redesign, elected officials agreed the public would have to be invited to participate. This would take time.
How they voted
Both Bob Lenz and Hailey Morton Levinson said the project needed to be presented to the public. The prominence of the piece and its location undoubtedly made it a matter of the citizens at large. In doing so, and in establishing a procedure for all future memorial features, the process would likely delay the unveiling of any new work in the town square to 2020, councilors felt.
Mayor Pete Muldoon agreed he didn’t see getting this done in 2019.
“We are really close to getting a design everyone can get behind, and it is good to have guidelines in place,” Jim Stanford said, adding he would also like to see about the town kicking in some money for it.
Frank was alone, however, in wanting to just do it.
“I don’t think we need to discuss this by policy. I’d like to see this move forward immediately—sensitive to the community having input. And the community should,” Frank said. “I guess I’m the one at the table that says full speed ahead.”
The council put off any firm commitment, asking the Pubic Art Task Force to work with planning staff to come up with a draft for policy and procedure. From there, citizen engagement and a timeline would then be established.
Deeper dive into history
Credit the PATF with leaving no stone unturned in researching the memorial monument. The staff report included a full 67 pages, many of them delving into the history of the statue.
Here’s what they found:
According to a newspaper article quoting the late senator Cliff Hansen, the bucking bronco is the only state symbol with a historical military creation. In the article, Senator Hansen explains that it was originally created by George Ostrom, First Sergeant, Battery E 148th Field Artillery, A.E.F. It was created to identify the Wyoming Troops of the 148th Field Artillery of the National Guard. Senator Hansen went on to point out that compared to the nation’s average of one in ten serving in the armed forces, Wyoming’s average was one in 6.
The rider is thought to represent Stub Farlow of Fremont County, and the horse is either Deadman or Midnight (not Steamboat), according to Senator Hansen. Original costs were approximately $15,000, with the Town and County each contributing $1,000.
Homer Richards created the original design that was later modified by Conrad Schwering. Bud Boeller was selected out of five artists by the memorial committee to create the bronze. Two time capsules are embedded in the concrete base.
Timeline
April 1932 – Town Council approves the official name of the Town Square as George Washington Memorial Park.
1953 – Rotary Club constructs an arch of antlers collected by boy scouts on the southwest corner.
July 20, 1976 – Town and County both agree to invest $1,000 to build the memorial. The majority of funding came from Homer Richards and private donations.
September 5, 1976 – A public ceremony is held to dedicate the Memorial.
March 6, 1995 – Larry North requests the Town Council maintain and update the memorial. He was referred to the Parks & Recreation department.
October 16, 2003 – George Washington Memorial Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to this document, “the George Washington Memorial Park possesses a high degree of integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Initially the only “contributing factors” to the listing of the park were the John Colter Monument and the first arch, however, the memorial, once it is old enough will be a contributing factor to its Register listing. The park is described as, “… a continuing work that has evolved both according to the original design and in conjunction with changing community needs, the park, or town square, has remained true not only to its origins but to its purpose in the center of the community.”
