Mormon Battalion Monument, Salt Lake City Utah.

If there's a photo that gives a worse depiction of a monument on this page than this one, I don't know what it is.

However, as a business traveler, and having seen this for the first time, and not knowing when I'll have the opportunity to photograph it again, here's an early morning photograph of the monument to the Mormon Battalion of the Mexican War on the grounds of Utah's capitol.  

The unit is unique in that its probably the only religiously based unit to have ever served in US service, although there are other units that can claim to be religiously homogeneous.  The unit was raised in a period of extreme tension between the Mormons, which were in the process of relocating to the Salt Lake Valley, and the United States.   The thought was that the raising of the volunteer unit would help dispel that.  

The unit was raised and did march a very long way to campaign in the war, but it did not see much in the way of actual combat, which is not to say that it did not see any.  The monument to the unit is being renovated, and as a result, this photograph only shows that a monument exists, without really given any details.

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World War One, World War Two, and Korean War Memorial: Chugwater Wyoming

This is the memorial for men lost in World War One, World War Two and the Korean War from the tiny town of Chugwater, Wyoming.  Chugwater is a very small town in Platte County, although it was probably a little larger during the Great War, World War Two, and the Korean War.

Expressing a unique tragedy, the same name appears on this memorial twice, but as that name was very clearly added for a serviceman of the Korean War after the monument was placed, we would have to assume that this represents two servicemen of the same name, likely father and son.

The memorial is located in a very small park across from the town hall.  Oddly, two figures have been added relatively recently which depict current servicemen, carrying M4 carbines. The figures are out of place and sort of resemble the plastic toy soldiers that kids play with and are an unfortunate addition to the memorial.

Sweetwater County World War One Memorial, Bunning Park, Rock Springs Wyoming

This is the World War One monument in Rock Springs Wyoming. Dedicated to the Sweetwater County fallen in the war, it is located in Bunning Park, which was dedicated by a mayor of the city for which the park is named.  Perhaps somewhat ironically, Peter  Bunning was German by birth and had served in the German army before immigrating to Denmark, and then on to the United States, where he became a highly successful Sweetwater County businessman.

The doughboy statue itself is of a design that was widely manufactured following the First World War for memorials.

It can't help be noted that there are a surprisingly large number of names on this memorial, given the short amount of time that the United States had troops in action during the Great War, and given that Sweetwater County's population would not have been large.

The Parting of the Ways

These monuments, within about 100 yards of each other, commemorate the Oregon Trail and the Parting of the Ways, that spot where the Oregon and California Trails diverged.  Unfortunately, as the informational sign makes clear, the monument is in the wrong place.  The actual Parting of the Ways is about ten miles to the west.