Lex Anteinternet: The passing of George H. W. Bush

Lex Anteinternet: The passing of George H. W. Bush: George H. W. Bush during his single term in office. This isn't going to be a lengthy post nor is it going to be a hagiography. ...

Wyoming Capitol Rotunda Statutes: The Casper Star Tribune reports that . . .

allegorical monuments will be going in, in Cheyenne.

The Capitol prior to reconstruction commencing.

They will not, however, be topless.  Not even partially.

The statutes, representing hope, courage, justice and truth, will be created by Delissalde Designs of Denver, after a competition on the same. They will all be female figures.

The announcement that they won was made last week.  Reports have it that they female Truth shall have a peace pipe, female Courage will have a snake wrapped around her leg, female Justice will have copies of the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions.  I don't know what Hope will have.

Other than clothes.  There was apparently some concern that the figures were a little scantily dressed.  Senator Eli Bebout, for example, made a specific inquiry about this.

This is oddly reminiscent, FWIW, in regards to the selection of the State seal over a century ago. A legislative committee worked on that only to have a sitting Governor substitute a competing design that had a central female figure appear on the seal he liked better who was topless.  Not that this was uncommon at the time.  Nearly every allegorical character used in art has been female and, probably as they were created by male artists looking, at least subconsciously for an excuse, they were very frequently topless.  Even a century ago, however, that made some uneasy, including male legislators, and the original Wyoming seal that was chosen featured a fully clothed figure, only to have a Governor sub it out. When that was discovered, that was pulled, and treasury notes issued commemorating Wyoming for a time had a figure that had been chosen by the U.S. Mints (yes, that is plural and it was referred to that way at the time) rather than something we'd chosen ourselves.  We subsequently got around to the current design.

It's odd to think that we'd repeat that event over a century later, but perhaps its even odder, in the context of the times, to consider that allegorical figures remain principally women and that the artists submitting designs would, by default, figure that allegorical female figures might bear a closer resemblance, both in form and degree of clothing, to Kate Upton than Ruth Bader Ginsberg, but some things simply don't change much, it would seem.

Well, Hope, Justice, Courage and Truth will be on the cupola of the new Capitol rotunda, gazing down at the public.  The public, gazing back up, will have no excuse for exercising prurient interests.

Lex Anteinternet: The plank in our own eye. Considering the memoria...

Lex Anteinternet: The plank in our own eye. Considering the memoria...: Why do you observe the splinter in your brother's eye and never notice the great log in your own?  And how dare you say to your broth...

Today In Wyoming's History: September 27. Disasters and ships.

From Today In Wyoming's History: September 27:

1923  Thirty railroad passengers were killed when a CB&Q train wrecked at the Cole Creek Bridge, which had been washed out due to a flood, in Natrona County.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1944 USS Natrona, a Haskell class attack transport, launched.

There's something in the county memorializing the latter (the ship's wheel, in the old courthouse), but not the former.

Such an awful disaster, you'd think there might be.

Is this spot too busy?

Recently I was in Albany County and I stopped by a rest stop, just to visit the Lincoln Memorial, and found that the stop is jammed packed with memorials.

It has, of course, the Lincoln Memorial:

Abraham Lincoln Memorial, Interstate 80, Wyoming

This is the very large bronze of Abraham Lincoln located on Interstate 80 just east of Laramie, Wyoming.  Interstate 80 is located on what was once the Lincoln Highway, hence explaining the very large bronze, which is otherwise somewhat unusual for a Wyoming monument.

 It also has the Henry B. Joy Lincoln Highway Memorial:

Henry B. Joy Memorial, Interstate 80, Albany County Wyoming.
 

This is a monument to one of the founders of the Lincoln Highway, located along its successor, Interstate 80.  The art deco memorial was created in 1938, the "L" cement markers are markers for the Lincoln Highway that can be found here and there along its route.

While this blog started out with war memorials, it's covered quite a few trail markers over the years, and indeed I will now be adding that as a category here, meaning I have to go back and edit quite a few old posts.  This marker, however, is only the second one I've posted on any of my blogs to highways, the other being the Black and Yellow Road near Gillette.

This marker is quite elaborate and very nice, being both a suitable marker for the Lincoln Highway and a nice example of an art deco piece of art.

Wyoming has also commemorated the highway, the noted individual, and the marker, with its own highway sign.

All of this is located at the same rest stop on Albany County that the Lincoln Memorial is located at.  Of note, this marker was moved from its original location, which might have been one that was preferred by the individual commemorated by the marker.

And it has been designated the Purple Heart Trail:

Purple Heart Trail Memorial, Interstate 80, Albany County, Wyoming.
 

This monument is placed at the same rest stop that the Lincoln Memorial and the Lincoln Highway Memorial featured below are located.  It's obviously in honor of those who have been wounded in action, and therefore eligible to receive the Purple Heart.

 And it also features a marker honoring ranching in Albany and Laramie Counties:

"Ranching from the high point" marker, Albany County, Wyoming.
 

This is a marker dedicated to agriculture in Albany and Laramie Counties, Wyoming.  It's located at  the same rest stop that features the Lincoln Memorial, the Purple Heart Trail marker, and the Henry Bourne Joy marker.

The final paragraph of this marker is quite true and highly significant.  In this region of the country, environmentalist like to take pot shots at ranchers all the time, but if they weren't here, the wild spaces wouldn't be here either.

Does this seem like a bit much?

All of these monuments are fine, but in one single place?  There was even one I didn't photograph. It's darned right crowded.

The Henry B. Joy monument, I'd note, was originally over by Rawlins, at a spot that Henry B. Joy liked.  Maybe they should have left it near there.  Maybe the Purple Heart Trail marker could be closer to Cheyenne?  Anyway you look at it, this is a lot of markers in a concentrated amount of space.  It risks diminishing them all, or so it seems to me.