Completed Sign
(l to r) Sue Sommers, John Dickie, Dale Jensen and Ron Hanson just after finishing with new sign installation.
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What's so funny
John Dickie (r) takes a braek from welding to tell a joke to Ron Hanson (l).
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Installation Crew
(l to r) John Misvek, Dale Jensen and Josh Wilson watch as welding is completed on the sign.
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Old Sign
The old sign servered faithfully for 45 years, but was showing its age.
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New Historical Sign at American Legion Park
by Clint Gilchrist
September 25, 2007
The Sublette County Museum Board recently replaced the aging historical sign at the American Legion Park in Pinedale with a new cast aluminum sign and new metal posts.
The older wood sign was installed in 1962. The wood posts were replaced about 10 years ago, and the sign has been reapinted several time, but was becoming hard to maintain after 45 years of Wyoming weather. The metal sign and posts will last much longer with less maintanence.
The sign titled “A Pause on a Journey” highlights the story of the Astorians led by Robert Stuart on their cross country trip from Ft. Astoria, Oregon to St. Louis in 1812. Just 6 years after Lewis and Clark, this group is credited with being the first Euro-Americans to cross South Pass. They were following centuries old Indian trails on their way through this area and over South Pass.
This is the fifth sign replaced in a multi year project by the board to upgrade all of the historical signs in the county. The sign was installed by board member Dale Jensen and local welder John Dickie with help from Ron Hanson, Josh Wilson and John Misvek from Town of Pinedale public works. Dale Jensen and John Dickie have also replaced four other signs this summer.
Dale is a long time board member and has voluntarily been in charge of maintaining the historical signs for more than a decade. It was through his guidance that the board decided several years ago to replace the wooden posts with metal posts and to feature John Dickie’s metal art on top.
John Dickie is not an ordinary welder. He has become famous for his metal art. John’s cut-outs on top of the signs give the county historical signs a unique flavor that is not found anywhere else. The signature artwork probably gets as many people to stop as the history does.
Board member Sue Sommers has been the driving force behind getting the new cast aluminum signs funded, designed, purchased and delivered over the past couple of years. The sign layout and design including the new board logo reflect Sue’s graphic arts background.
David Klaren of Dire Wolf Studios worked with the manufacturer to get the signs ordered and delivered. Clint Gilchrist, board member of the Sublette County Historical Society, helped Sue revise and clarify the sign’s historical text.
The Sublette County Museum Board consists of 5 members appointed by the Sublette County Commissioners and the funding for the signs was provided by the County. The current members of the Museum Board are Dale Jensen, Sue Sommers, Sonya Stone, Tim Thompson, Elaine Crumply. The County Commissioners are Bill Cramer, John Linn, and Joel Bousman.
The next time you see any of the board members or commissioners, please thank them for their support of our local history. Also thank recent past board members for their support of the current sign restorations: Paul Hagenstein, Bob Thompson, Jim Latta, and Stan Murdock.
The other signs replaced this year include: “Of Cattle and Men” along Hwy 189 adjacent to the Sublette County Fair Grounds; “Sand Springs - A Stop on the Oregon Trail” along hwy 191 about 2 miles north of Sand Draw; “Green River Rendezvous” along Hwy 189 just north of Daniel; and “Astorian Camp” along Hwy 191 a couple miles south of the Rim on the way to Bondurant. “Hoback Canyon” along Hwy 191 at the southern entrance to Hoback Canyon will be installed this fall.
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