Great War Memorials

[Pat Holscher]

Pat

Bumped up in remembrance of November 11, 1918.

[Pat Holscher]

World War One dead from Fremont County, Wyoming. The Washakie noted would be a close descendant of Chief Washakie.



Some other views of this memorial.

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2011/07 ... orial.html

[dekenai]

Beersheba, Israel 2009, celebrating the charge of 1917 by Australian Lighthorse.

[Pat Holscher]

Beersheba, Israel 2009, celebrating the charge of 1917 by Australian Lighthorse.

That's a great one!

[Gunny Gibby]

Yes, that is a real nice one. One of the better ones for sure.

[Pat Holscher]

A couple of new additions. Nothing really dramatic.

Campbell County Wyoming's WWI, WWII, and Korean War Memorial. Fairly typical memorial for a small (then) population county:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2011/09 ... erans.html

Sheridan County Wyoming's memorial. Also an all wars memorial, including the Great War, WWI, and Korea.

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2011/09 ... ridan.html

Sheridan County had a long association with the Army, and I guess it really still does, given the VA hospital. It's association with the Remount program was very pronounced, and I've noted a few obits here and there of horsey people noting both remount service and a Sheridan County presence.

[Pat Holscher]

Bumped up in memory of those lost in the Great War.

[Camp Little]

The Spirit of the American Doughboy

These statues may be found over many locations in the US. I've seen one Pat in Rock Springs, WY while passing through the area on a hunting trip. There is another just outside Soldier Field in Chicago Here are a few links to the story behind the statues:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_of_ ... n_Doughboy

http://doughboysearcher.weebly.com/the- ... ghboy.html

I picked up one of the pot metal ones that was missing a hand and had a few gouges in the metal. I was able to pick up a replacement hand and restore it. I'll try to post a picture if I can figure out the new system.

[Pat Holscher]

The Spirit of the American Doughboy

These statues may be found over many locations in the US. I've seen one Pat in Rock Springs, WY while passing through the area on a hunting trip. There is another just outside Soldier Field in Chicago Here are a few links to the story behind the statues:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_of_ ... n_Doughboy

http://doughboysearcher.weebly.com/the- ... ghboy.html

I picked up one of the pot metal ones that was missing a hand and had a few gouges in the metal. I was able to pick up a replacement hand and restore it. I'll try to post a picture if I can figure out the new system.

Thanks.

We don't really think of memorials being mass produced, but in at least this case (and I'll be others) they are. It sounds sort of cheesy to us, but it did allow a lot of small towns to memorialize their veterans.

One interesting thing I've run across in some small towns, or even low population counties, is that a memorial will note everyone who served, rather than just those who lost their lives. Indeed, my wife found her grandfather's name on the Hot Springs County WY memorial to her surprise. Nobody in the family knew that his name was on it.

[Jim Bewley]

Beersheba, Israel 2009, celebrating the charge of 1917 by Australian Lighthorse.

I just saw this one and find it remarkable. Rarely, in a sculpture, do you see the riders position truly correct, but this one is perfect. Leg under and seat back, in a very balance position. It also looks like he might have a handful on mane. Very well done and the detail is wonderful.

BTW: We need a "thumbs up" smilie.

Jim

[Pat Holscher]

This is a piece dedicated as a WWI Memorial at the Wyoming State Veteran's Home, the old Ft. D. A. McKinney, in Buffalo Wyoming

What is it?

[Pat Holscher]

I just posted these photos of one of two WWI memorials in Laramie Wyoming.

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/02 ... oming.html

The photos are not great, in part because of the light conditions at the time they were taken (I was passing through, and the light is what it is). What impressed me, however, is the number of names on the memorial. It's huge. It lists those who lost their lives in WWI and were residents of Albany County, Wyoming or who were University of Wyoming students or employees. Given the short duration of the war, the number of names really surprised me.

[Pat Holscher]

This is an unusual one which features a small statute of a horse saddled with a McClellan saddle:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... addle.html

The image is somewhat dark, so it's hard to get the details of the saddle, but you can see the photograph of the men who went from Jackson Wyoming to Cheyenne to enlist in World War One. The memorial indicates that they were a "troupe" but I don't know what that means in this context.

Jackson was organized as a town in 1914, although it's a little older than that. At that time, getting in and out of it during the winter was impossible, so these guys were probably as tough as nails.

Teton County's memorial features Steamboat, the famous bucking horse:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... ckson.html

[Couvi]

This is an unusual one which features a small statute of a horse saddled with a McClellan saddle:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... addle.html

The image is somewhat dark, so it's hard to get the details of the saddle, but you can see the photograph of the men who went from Jackson Wyoming to Cheyenne to enlist in World War One. The memorial indicates that they were a "troupe" but I don't know what that means in this context.

Jackson was organized as a town in 1914, although it's a little older than that. At that time, getting in and out of it during the winter was impossible, so these guys were probably as tough as nails.

Teton County's memorial features Steamboat, the famous bucking horse:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... ckson.html

What is the structure behind the bucking horse statue?

[selewis]

This is an unusual one which features a small statute of a horse saddled with a McClellan saddle:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... addle.html

The image is somewhat dark, so it's hard to get the details of the saddle, but you can see the photograph of the men who went from Jackson Wyoming to Cheyenne to enlist in World War One. The memorial indicates that they were a "troupe" but I don't know what that means in this context.

Jackson was organized as a town in 1914, although it's a little older than that. At that time, getting in and out of it during the winter was impossible, so these guys were probably as tough as nails.

Teton County's memorial features Steamboat, the famous bucking horse:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... ckson.html

What is the structure behind the bucking horse statue?

That is an arch made of cast elk horns. They are easily gathered en masse from the refuge where the elk are dammed up and fed through the winter.

[Pat Holscher]

This is an unusual one which features a small statute of a horse saddled with a McClellan saddle:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... addle.html

The image is somewhat dark, so it's hard to get the details of the saddle, but you can see the photograph of the men who went from Jackson Wyoming to Cheyenne to enlist in World War One. The memorial indicates that they were a "troupe" but I don't know what that means in this context.

Jackson was organized as a town in 1914, although it's a little older than that. At that time, getting in and out of it during the winter was impossible, so these guys were probably as tough as nails.

Teton County's memorial features Steamboat, the famous bucking horse:

http://warmonument.blogspot.com/2012/03 ... ckson.html

What is the structure behind the bucking horse statue?

That is an arch made of cast elk horns. They are easily gathered en masse from the refuge where the elk are dammed up and fed through the winter.

That's right. There are four such arches on this small town block, one at each corner.

[Pat Holscher]

That is an arch made of cast elk horns. They are easily gathered en masse from the refuge where the elk are dammed up and fed through the winter.

That's right. There are four such arches on this small town block, one at each corner.

An example of what Sandy is referring to:

http://holschershub.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... -show.html

[selewis]

Nice pics Pat, thanks.

A bit of back story, Couvi. The city of Jackson Hole is a cork in the bottleneck of the elk's migration route. Being grazers like cows, once upon a time they moseyed through town on their way down to their winter range on the flats of south eastern Idaho. When Jackson Hole became civilized, to the extent that the city mothers got fed up with the beasts trampling through their flower beds on their return trip in the spring, it was decided, in the sensible spirit of the times, that the best way to restore domestic bliss to the community would be to shoot all the elk. Times change though; and just in time for the elk's sake. That plan was shelved and they put up a big fence instead. Hence: the elk refuge, a large meadow, a natural holding pen where they are fed through the winter. The Boy Scouts collect the antlers after they are shed in the spring and they are auctioned off to furniture makers, artists, oriental druggists, whomever.

[Pat Holscher]

Nice pics Pat, thanks.

A bit of back story, Couvi. The city of Jackson Hole is a cork in the bottleneck of the elk's migration route. Being grazers like cows, once upon a time they moseyed through town on their way down to their winter range on the flats of south eastern Idaho. When Jackson Hole became civilized, to the extent that the city mothers got fed up with the beasts trampling through their flower beds on their return trip in the spring, it was decided, in the sensible spirit of the times, that the best way to restore domestic bliss to the community would be to shoot all the elk. Times change though; and just in time for the elk's sake. That plan was shelved and they put up a big fence instead. Hence: the elk refuge, a large meadow, a natural holding pen where they are fed through the winter. The Boy Scouts collect the antlers after they are shed in the spring and they are auctioned off to furniture makers, artists, oriental druggists, whomever.

I think I'd relate the story a bit differently, but with some of the same basic features. The town of Jackson ("Jackson Hole" is the valley and the town's just Jackson) is the cork in the bottle and has been since the early 20th Century. It's built in the logical place, more or less, but it did cork up the valley. This resulted in the loss of over half of this particular herds winter grazing grounds, and there were huge die offs due to starvation in the early 20th Century. The loss wasn't due to hunting, however, but due to winter kill. The winter kills of the few years prior to 1912 were so bad that the ranchers in the valley began to feed them hay in the winter. By 1912, however, they no longer could afford to do that. The (fairly small) ranchers in the valley of that period were really hard scrabble places, as the entire valley was closed off from the outside during winter at that time. As they were having a hard time feeding their cattle, by 1912 they couldn't do it alone and petitioned the Legislature. The 1912 time frame fits into the Theodore Roosevelt era of conservation, and by that time the concept of regulated big game hunting had come in and was being very much advanced by hunters, so there wasn't actually any desire to simply kill the elk off and the concept of preserving the game herds was developed and had the regional support at that time.

The Wyoming Legislature appropriated funds to purchase hay for the elk starting with the Fall of 1912. The State continued this for several years but it soon proved to be beyond the ability of the State, and the State asked the US for help, which was forthcoming. I'm not sure when the US became involved, but the State feeding program didn't last long. After the Federal government took over, one of the ranchers sold his place back to the US, and the refuge started with 200 acres of ground. Off hand, I think it might be around 20,000 now. The ranches right in there were, as noted, fairly hard scrabble places and the refuge was built from US purchases of the ranches in the immediate neighborhood.. The feeding program will have entered its 100th year next Fall.

The number of elk on the refuge during the winter now is 7,500 elk. The natural carrying capacity of the valley before settlement was estimated at 5,000 elk. One of the big starvation events of the early 20th Century killed about 2500 elk at that time. At any rate, the elk population of the refuge is considerably over the carrying capacity of the valley in its natural state. The area to the north sees a fair amount of elk hunting, but as can be seen, that fails to keep the numbers of this heard down to the natural level. Wolf predation, which does impact this herd, isn't keeping it down either, although it's reputed to have an impact on other herds in the region to a significant event. The 7500 level is a bad thing really as it likely is up over the locally destructive level, and a test plot on the refuge tends to demonstrate that. A big fence does keep them off the highway, and out of Jackson, which they'd no doubt frequent if they could. No fences are on the other boundaries.

In recent years small numbers of bison began to show up on the refuge and when they figured out that the elk were getting fed, the small numbers became not unsubstantial numbers. They pushed elk off their feed so they have now had to feed them too. They're fed first to the north, so that they don't get into the elk and interfere with the elk feeding.

The entire story of Jackson Hole is replete with a series of odd ironies, some of which include this story. As those familiar with the area are aware, it's extremely scenic and the most valuable real estate in Wyoming is located there. But that's all a byproduct of modern transportation and has only become true since the 1970s. It was some of the worst ranching ground in the state due to its severe isolation which is demonstrated by the fact that homesteaders were selling their land back to the Federal government well before the Great Depression. Its the setting for the movie Shane, in which small farmers are portrayed as being at the mercy of big ranchers, but in reality it had a lot of tiny ranches in it at first, and only the bigger ones survived, those being the only ones that were capable of weathering the storms, literally. Today only a few of them survive and those who hung on were made freakish accidental beneficiaries of modern highways. Contrary to some of the myths that are common, it was actually agricultural interests that took the first step to save a distressed elk herd, in an era, however, when hunters were otherwise at the forefront of conservation (which is still true) and Wyoming, which was dominated by agriculture in the legislature at the time, stepped up to the plate with funding before the Federal government did. The modern result is a huge success, so much so that it's too much of a success really, and there's really too many elk and too many buffalo for the available ground.

[selewis]

Thanks, Pat. Much more interesting than my story, which I received from a soi disant cowboy who drove one of the feed sleds. Probably a script he worked up himself. I'm ashamed for passing it along without looking further into it.

Sandy