The Mormon Battalion, Its History and AchievementsRoberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
History
The Mormon Battalion, Its History and Achievements
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Mexican War, 1846-1848 -- Regimental histories -- United States; United States. Army. Mormon Battalion
"Our proposed monument represents and commemorates such ideal in
co-operation, steadfastness and progress as should be a lesson and an
inspiration to this and to succeeding generations.
"The back of the monument has been most happily designed.
"It is the third side of the triangle and remains to be described.
"The central idea is the dimly suggested figure of an Indian woman, of
the southwestern type, whose head shows in relief against the background
peaks and whose body and outstretched arms draped in the customary
blanket are faintly suggested in the crags and rocks. In fact the head
is the only part of the figure that is chiseled clear in outline, the
balance of the figure being only dimly suggested."
=Evanishment of Race.=--"Just as the 'Spirit of the West' in the front
dominates and pervades so this figure has the air of receding and
disappearance. The evanishment of a former race. The figure is heroic in
size and beautifully conceived. On either side, really on the lower
folds of the blanket or on the rocks whereon the blanket is suggested,
are two more scenes incidental to the journey and labors of the
battalion. On the right half is a scene at Sutter's mill where some of
the battalion members in digging the tailrace for the mill turned up
the first gold bearing gravel that led to the great gold rush to
California in ''49,' and contributed so many millions to the wealth of
the country.
"On the left half is shown a battalion man digging a ditch and leading
the water from a creek to overflow the land so that the pioneers could
break the ground that had shattered their plow points and broken their
plows.
"This was the introduction of irrigation into Utah.
"The back of the monument in its conception and treatment, by its
stateliness and suggested grandeur and what the artists call
'atmosphere' made a distinct impression upon the committee and no
changes or modifications were thought of nor suggested. It seemed a very
happy solution of a difficult problem.
"From the irrigating stream and the tail-race of the mill it is designed
to have small streams of flowing water forming a pool in the shape of a
half moon at the rear and so arranged as to pass this water through to
the other side to form two pools or lagoons on the front side of the
monument.
"Immediately surrounding the monument the architects have laid out a
pavement in red brick tile with a border of an Indian design. This dark
tile will save the glare and dazzling reflection of the bright sun of
our clear atmosphere upon a white granite monument.
"There are also graceful and symmetrical walks, a granite coping and
seats suitably located and arranged to give everyone ample opportunity
for a casual or studied view of the monument and its parts.
"Beyond these walks and seats immediately around the monument, the
pools, lagoon and walks are designed to join in and harmonize with the
rest of the capitol grounds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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