The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-30

MEMORIAL
DEDICATED
Anniversary Of Signing Of the
Louisiana Purchase
Memorials a Beautiful Temple
Of Stone
Congressional Delegates and
, Other NotableS Present

st. Louis, April 30.-The 10th ami /
versary of the signing of the Louisiana
purchase treaty was observed this
afternoon here by the dedication of the 4
Jefferson Memorial building, a $780, A
600 structure at the entrance to the
old Louisiana purchase exposition
grounds The incidents of the dedi-
cation were the unveiling Of marble
statue Of Thomas Jefferson and a
bronze groupe Of James Monroe and
Robert Livingstone, the American
ministers who negotiated the purchase
treaty, and Marbois, the French min
lister of foreign affairs, signing the
treaty. Congressional delegates, five
senators and nine representatives. are
here to take part in the ceremonies.
The memorial. a temple of stone,
stands at the main entrance of the
old worlds fair grounds in the western
part of Forest park, the city's largest
playground, and almost at the foot of
the hill on which stands the fine arts
gallery of the exposition, the perma-
nent building of the great fair of nine
years ago.
The Jefferson memorial has a 'front.'
age, including the central arch and the
two wings, of $40 feet. The arch is
about 70 feet deep. and the great
dome that surmounts it is so feet in
diameter. Each wing is 55 feet deep.
Within the arch is a colossal statue
of Thomas Jefferson, carved from Ital
ian marble, the work of Karl Bitter,
who was director of sculpture at tho
Louisiana Purchase exposition.
Leading to the Jefferson statue,
which is under the open dome, is a
facade of six mammoth pillars.
In one wing of the building is JEFF
ferson Hall, room in which conven-
tions or meetings of patriotic societies
may be held. Three rooms around
Jefferson hall are to be converted into
museum for the records and relics of
the Louisiana Purchase exposition.
In the opposite wing will be housed
the collections of the Missouri His
torical society. In this collection are
archaeological specimens from all parts
of the original Louisiana purchase
TERRITORY, an accumulation Of forty
years the priceless library of the his
Itoricaf society which contains thou
sands OF manuscripts, letters and
diaries illuminating the history of the
trans Missouri country; an Indian col
lection of more than 10000 pieces; and
oil paintings of the governors of Mis-
souri, and many other persons promi-
nent in the history of the Louisiana
territory. Among the relics is a sun
dial from the Jefferson home at Mon
ticello.
The building cost approximately
S450,000.. This sum came from three
sOurces-the federal government, the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition Co,
and the city of. st. Louis. The $780,
900 represents the balance remaining
from the exposition to which congress
and the city each appropriated So
| 100000. The original appropriation
provided that after all the exposition
| affairs had been litigated, as much Of
the surplus should revert to the gov
ernment as reverted to the exposition
company. A similar proviso was made
| by the city of st. Louis in the expo
sition bond issue. In lieu of the re-
version of the surplus to the original
| parties to the exposition, congress, the
| directorate and the city agreed to use
| the fund for the building of a lasting
memorial to Thomas Jefferson. The
| city gave the site, the building marks
the completion of the restoration Of
Forest park on the part of the expo
sition company-a work in which $2,-
100000 has been expended.
The memorial building, last winter,
formally was turned over to the city
\ and ii now is under city control.
The surviving directors of the
worlds fair have been organized into a
relics of the exposition. They also
souri, Historical society. which will
continue to look after it's own col
| lection. The care of the building will
be under the direction of the city park
commissioner ~ t.t t..