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Pinedale Online > News > September 2007 > New Historical Sign at American Legion Park

Completed Sign. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Completed Sign
(l to r) Sue Sommers, John Dickie, Dale Jensen and Ron Hanson just after finishing with new sign installation.

A Pause on a Journey. Photo by Pinedale Online.
A Pause on a Journey

What's so funny. Photo by Pinedale Online.
What's so funny
John Dickie (r) takes a braek from welding to tell a joke to Ron Hanson (l).

Installation Crew. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Installation Crew
(l to r) John Misvek, Dale Jensen and Josh Wilson watch as welding is completed on the sign.

Old Sign. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Old Sign
The old sign servered faithfully for 45 years, but was showing its age.
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.



Old Sign. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Old Sign
The old sign just before being replaced.

Removing Posts. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Removing Posts
Ron uses the backhoe to remove the old posts.

New Posts. Photo by Pinedale Online.
New Posts
New metal posts were heavy, but at least nobody had to dig new holes.

Installing the Top. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Installing the Top
The Town of Pinedale front end loader came in handy to get the top on without damaging the art work.

Tack Weld. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Tack Weld
After tedious work to get the post and cross bar level, centered and in the right place, John tack welds the pieces together.

Packing the Posts. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Packing the Posts
The post hols were packed with roacks and sand.

Cross Brace. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Cross Brace
Dale holds and John cuts a cross brace to hold the new sign.

First Visitor. Photo by Pinedale Online.
First Visitor
The sign's first vistor stops by to see what is going on and get a history lesson from the older guard.

Welding on the sign. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Welding on the sign
The front end loader also made the sign much easier to put into place.

Final Welds. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Final Welds
John finishes the bottom brace.

Final Touches. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Final Touches
John uses stove pipe paint to finish off his artwork.

Completed Sign. Photo by Pinedale Online.
Completed Sign
Lets hope this sign last another 45 years.
Pinedale Online > News > September 2007 > New Historical Sign at American Legion Park

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