The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-02
Frederic ITaskin's Letter
Houoring the Poet of the West.
tspoesal Correspondence - SAs Arsr.s,

she saw him fighting a forest
that menaced his little colon 1'7
He was SO intensely eager a.,
determined as he worked that a. !
she says. Il watched him 49,
and tried to put something NJ 't ~
force and vitality that I SAN us 1.
his face into the bust" u
The sculptor saw him in e,.t..,
different mood when he entert.1-''yy
the steady stream of visitors - ~
would throw on his elk's hide co,1
or fur skin around his sboTlSS-t
and put On an Indian hea5dress - ;
some of his other curious souyen.-.
and stand in front of his cabin -
greet strangers and admirers VII
4 came to pay their respects nv
; satisfy their curiosity. -
They expect me to look unus-,,
and 1 won't disappoinr them ~
would say laughingly to his fripr'is
when they inquired why he Wen.
to the trouble of dressing IN"
I Sometimes he would further en-
! terrain a sensation seeker nv
joke in which he particularly 4,
lighted. II it was a hot, dry Law
he would say that he was po;s,
III to pray to the rain god for rain
ard into a ChapeI-like room of b,s
cabin he would lead the wonderi7',
visitor. Then he would mournfn'iS
chant an IGdian song or Dravs,
with weird gestures. Soon ibs
sound OF lain could be clearly
heard on the tin roof, and BTiIle,
would announce that the rain god
had answered him. Dramatically
he would throw open the door 10
show the rain pouring down among
the cherry trees before the house
How lie Made Rain.
The rain was always Of brief du-
aticn because it was produced BY
spout arrangement similar to tha
rain storms produced in the NOV
les. One of Miller's characteristics
was to keep his head always cover
cd.
Il wanted to make { bust show
ing the magnificent dome of his
forehead" says Miss Boyle, but he
wore a broad brimmed hat
or a cap or some sort of headdress.
In the house he generally wore cdj
silk caps which his slaughter, Juan
tia. made and sent to him.
Eventually l did model his head
But when he saw it, Re
objected strongly to the bald eff
feet and finally I added lock Of
hair to please him"
The base Of the memorial bust
Miss Boyle expects to make Of
stones from Rock creek. Joaquin
used to collect stones and cement
tEem together to make Monuments
to his favorite Moses,
Fremont. the pioneer,
and others. The pedestal Of the
bust is to resemble these moau-
nents which seemed to mean so
much to him.
One of them he built for funer-
II pyre for himself. But the use
If it was regarded as impractical,
md when he died his body was
cremated in Oakland, then the
lshes were ccattered from the ridge
II his cabin. On this pyTe, Cert
'ude Boyle hopes some day to place
| bust Of the poet as a memorial
It his real home.
The bust in Rock Creek park will
De deep in the park, but near me
cad along which many autom9-
lilies and some pedestrians pass.
close to the stream, near the cabin,
here is a rustic table which Miss
Boyle says is very like one near
he California cabin. Here picnic
,arties come regularly through the
ummer months.
Rock Creek park is a fav0rite
rive of motorists in Washington.
Every evening a steady stream Of
ars winds in and out along the
niles Of road cut through the
Woodland. The bust of joaquin
liIler will be the first statue to be
laced in the park, and il viii be
Iore conspicuous and attract more
interest there than 1t would III
tatuary hall or the capitol or il
ne of the small city parks.
Tributes to Joaquin Miller are
ow taken as a matter OF course.
most of them have
ONE just a few years too late Ioc
i'm to have had the satisfaction q
his work was appreciated
y his own people
He felt deeply the tribute Of the
aIifornia society, when his cabin
as placed in Rock Creek park,
nd he doubtless would have been
OubIy happy if he could have
nown that his statue was to be
ided to the memorial.