Omaha daily bee., 1906-06-10
TROUBLES OF A MONUMENT
viclssitudes of the Ames Memorial on
the Crest of Sherman Hill,
Wyoming.

writer IN the June NUMBER OF the tOur-
Track News reoounts the melancholy story
Of the famous Ames. now sidetracked on
the Sherman Hill in Wyoming. Although
but an infant in years and size when COM
pared with its Egyptian prototypes. he
says. the life of the Ames monument o.
wyoming has been troublous and filed
with vicissitudes-sharp in contrast with
the almighty calm which for centuries has
enshroued the great pyramids.
The Ames monument was built but
quarter Of a century ago and cost about
10000. 1t was erected to commemorate
Cakes Ames and oliver Ames, the pioneer
builders OF the Union Pacific railway. It
Is sixty feet square at the base, sixty-fve
feet high and is built Of red granite, the
immense blocks 81 which were quarried
from the Rocky mountain peaks sur
rounding II. There are two medallions,
each ten feet square, of Cakes and Oliver
Ames, respectively, placed on the east and
west faces OF the monument near It's apex.
1t Is located at Sherman station, the high
est point on the line OF the road, nearly
1900 feet above the level OF the sea.
Scarcely was tho monument completed
when its troubles began.
First II was stolen. It happened this
way: Old Man Hennesoy OF Laramie,
thirty miles west OF Sherman, wanted 10
take up a homestead. He wasn't particu-
lar where, and sought advice from the
then village justice Of the peace, Edgar
William Nye, later known as bill" Nye.
Nye advised the old man that the best
way to select a homestead was to locate
It on the map and then look It ND. He
told Old Hennesey. too, that q homestead
near a town would be the best kind Of a
one to secure Hennesey took Nye's ad-
vice, and on the next pay day went to
Cheyenne and paid a visit to the United
States land office, where he looked over
the maps Of Uncle Sans domain. He
found that Sherman was the only town
| which had any unappropriated public lands
close at hand; and he. without any fur
Their delay, filed on 100 acres adjacent to
| Sherman. Then he got a surveyor to To-
cate the land from the land office descrip-
/ lions. When the lines were run, much to
the surprise Of Hennesey and more so to
the officials OF the railway. 1t was found
| that his homestead contained the Ames
monument. Then there was CONSERVATION
in the general Offices of the company al
Omaha. Through the carelessness OF some
one, $4,000 had been spent in building the
memorial pile without first determining
4
ment" was being placed. 1t was a grievous
mistake, and the claim agent OF the com.
| pany was Immediately ordered to Laramie
to use his persuasive influence with Ole
Man Hennesey in an EFFORT to obtain from
him a REIMBURSEMENT of his claim. Gee
the land, even II you have to pay hin
900, and we win make It up among US,
were the instructions given him. The claim
agent went out on the first train, and
when he reached Laramie, lost no tim,
| in making Old Man Hennesey's aequaint
| ance. His eloquent prophecy OF the future
greatness OF the city OF Laramie served
| to put Old Hennesey into such a frame o.
mind that the willy agent had but littl,
difficulty when he got down to a business
proposition, in getting the old man Il
sign REIMBURSEMENT OF his Sherman CLAIM
in exchange for deed for three town lot
IN what Bill Nye was wont TO cali eth,
Gem City Of the Plains"
The monument was erected as a testi
monial TO the Ames brothers. but tina
fact was soon lost sight OF. II was bull
at Sherman, which, by the way, con
sisted Of but a section house and depo
made Of a dewheeled box car. The monu
ment was built on a high peak PROTECTING
from the irregular plateau 100 or 800 yard
from the depot-far enough away so tina
the inscription explaining its erection
could not be read from the trains. 81
instead Of being known as the Ames monu
ment II soon was called the Sherman
monument. Thousands OF travellers owe
the road received and retained the i'm
preston that the monster pyramid wa
a memorial 10 that grim old fighter Gen
eral William Tecumseh Sherman.
But the troubles Of the monument AZ
not end with the mlsa pplication OF tn
purpose for which II was built. II wa
found, when trafie on the road Increase
TO modern proportions. that the line ha
not been built across the Rocky mountai
submits by the best route. Surveys wer
made which took out curves reduce
grades and shortened distances; and whe
the new line was built It left sherma
station fully five miles from the rail
and the monument is now a lonely pyrt
? mid. GROWING a still lonelieF mountal
peak. II IL rarely beheld by mortal ey
A coyote may occasionally howl a airs
= about II or a mountain wolf prowl arOur
It's base.
1 Now that. in the interest OF a light,
grade. the line OF railway has vesred ava
: and iefe the monument solitary and is
; lated On the bleak. Wind-sWspt plateau