By Michael Howell
Sacajawea passed through what is now the town of Darby twice on her journey with the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. A sculpture destined to honor those visits arrived last Wednesday in the back of Ted Hall’s pick-up truck.
A crew of specialized helpers, including carpenters, stone masons, metal cutters, engineers, and plain old hole diggers, gradually assembled and before you know it the little pocket park called Sacajawea Rest was bustling with activity.
Shawn Jackson’s saw sent sparks flying as he cut the threaded bars that would secure the sculpture into a bed of concrete. Bob Furniss and others finished digging out the hole and tamping it down in preparation for the concrete, while Lee Richter built a protective shell out of lumber to hold the sculpture in position while the concrete was poured.
No one could be more excited about this addition to the park, perhaps, than Gay Findley, Secretary/Treasurer for the South Valley Civic Club, the organization behind the development of the pocket park in downtown Darby.
Findley said they were looking for a project to improve the downtown and she got the idea of developing a small pocket park from the little Creamery Park in downtown Stevensville. Finding a potential spot was fairly easy. The plywood fence shielding the site where an old building had burnt down was an eyesore. And would make a perfect little “pocket park.”
“We brought up the idea to the owners of the lot, Tom and Charlotte Robak, and they were agreeable,” said Findley. The community chimed in on naming the park and the winning vote went to “Sacajawea Rest.” Findley said that she was thrilled at the whole development. She said she grew up with a lot of native influence and always felt like Darby was lacking a bit in tribal history.
The South Valley Civic Club went to the Shoshone Tribal Council to get permission to use the name for the park and also consulted with the Montana Historical Society. Workers from the Job Corps built the wooden walls and poured the concrete tables and benches. Ginny and Tom Block donated some small trees, Master Log Homes donated some materials for the wall, and Jane Azzerello plans on painting a mural on the large concrete block wall on the north side of the park.
Then came the idea for the sculpture. Ted Hall just happened to know the guy that sculpted the Sacajawea that stands at Fort Clatsop in Astoria, Oregon. He contacted Jim Demetro and found out they could obtain a bronze made from the same mold for $10,000. Demetro first created the sculpture in 2003. Since that time several reproductions from the mold have been made and installed elsewhere along the trail.
So the fund raising began in earnest. NorthWestern Energy donated $2,000, Lost Trail Hot Springs donated $1,000, the rest came from many other community donations which were topped off at the Bandit Brewery last week where the last $1,000 came in to pay the thing off.
Demetro said on the phone from Idaho that Sacajawea was the most sculpted woman in the country, but nobody knew what she really looked like. He said he had to use his imagination, but that he knew they were having a hard time on their journey. It was cold and windy when they came through the Darby area. He said after reading about her that he felt the sculpture should show some pride, but without glorifying her.
Although she is well installed, she is not visible yet to the public. An official unveiling ceremony is planned for Friday, October 27. It will be followed the next day, October 28, with an art show at the Darby Club House.
