Or at least it was.
Day 95
Richardton’s WWI Memorial
June 29th, 2010
I'm walking across America.
That's the idea, at least. I'm walking westward from New York City for nine months or so. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be in Oregon when the clock runs out. If nothing goes according to plan, maybe I'll end up in Peru or Mongolia or Pennsylvania. You can read all about the details of my trip if you're so inclined.
Email me at matt@imjustwalkin.com
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Here's my progress so far:
Sad. My father was a veteran of Korea so it’s so sad to see this happen to any war memorial. Was there any plaques there about it? Must have been something for you to know it was one.
Yes, this is very sad. I looked up Richardton, ND on google earth and it is a very small town but people do live there. Out of all the citizens (pop. 619 in 2000) of Richardton, no one has the time to fix and clean up this memorial??? You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
I agree. Shame!
On second thought, perhaps these clever people are making a statement about the enormous destruction of that terrible war.
the flowers are nice
619 people in 285 housing units (census 2000). 2 people avg. per unit. oh, and it also says it is the home to Benedictine monks.
i don’t think that ‘war memorial’ is getting cleaned up anytime soon. (BTW…where is the proof that it actually was a war memorial?)
Hi, I’ve just read about you today in the morning edition of one of the newspapers I use to read on the internet, and I just wanted to say that what you are doing is awsome and something I’ve always wanted to do, not in the States, but in Spain, my own country or maybe through Europe. Keep posting more pics and experiences, from that day on you have a new Spanish fan who will live your experiece through your eyes :D (and I have another website to check every mornig :D) Hugs.
Welcome Marta; Any war memorial stands for what it is. In imaculate condition or in run down condition…it should draw thoughts of those who died for the sake of this country which we celbrate everyday we visit this site.
My uncle died in WWii, we visit arlington a few times, people go to the tourist sites there…and you see so few walking amongst just the tombstones and the grass/roads. God bless those who serve or have served.
Though Yeosaph maybe wrong in guess he is so, so right in his comment. Good time to say Peace, if everyone shook another man’s hand and just greated them with the word peace would it be absorbed and passed on?
Jeff, i couldn’t agree more. To honor those who willingly gave their lives to protect our freedom should never be taken lightly. We should never forget the cost others have paid for our freedoms. Thanks, Matt, for bringing rememberance of Richardton to those of us that have caught a glimpse of the memorial through your daily adventure. I guess memorials do work, even if in a run down condtion.
Wondering what it originally looked like. Are those Rocks or Concrete formations sticking up on the ledge?
Matt – have a wonderful day – I’m off for breakfast!
As a veteran myself, this saddens me so. In this town’s defense, the population is only 619!! I’m sure they did the best they could for a long time, certainly they don’t have the funding to make this perfect again. A memorial is a memorial, it was incredibly kind of them many years ago and even in disrepair it still is.
As my Mom used to say…”It’s going the way of the world”…in other words…downhill…way of the world-“The manner in which things typically happen.”…and when things are left to their own fate without care, it will go the “way of the world”…fall apart…it is a shame…that with a little upkeep, we would still be able to see what it used to be…good lesson and picture Matt…
Just as “old soldiers never die they just fade away” so to do the monuments to their lives and all they gave so we may enjoy what we have today.
Matt, there’s apparently a Monk monastery in Richardton, ND, http://www.assumptionabbey.com/index.html
Sounds like a place you could have rested your head last night. You’re probably several miles away from that right now.
I think it’s beautiful. It’s a memory of days gone, but not forgotten, obviously it was built to last with a solid foundation. Those that did remember these old soldiers have joined them by now just leaving us their foundation of what they left behind. As an old soldier myself I can appreciate this memorial and smile. They fought and died for God and Country… for what they believed in… to preserve our rights to have the freedom to say and do as we wish as in the Constitution.
The memorial isn’t empty.. it just isn’t in use at present time. It is a stage FOR memorial services, or for private grieving whichever.
But you can bet… there are many old soldiers still on duty
Rod
Texas
Another angel:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Richardton,+ND&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Richardton,+Stark,+North+Dakota&gl=us&ei=-HMrTIzCJsb4nAeYn6H0DQ&ved=0CBoQ8gEwAA&ll=46.883845,-102.315931&spn=0.002339,0.005681&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=46.883826,-102.315798&panoid=lqYAHCxloJLG4HT1o8Aq-g&cbp=12,200.26,,0,5
Being a glass half full person, I see no trash, freshly mowed grass, and lovely yellow flowers on the bushes.
Perhaps this small town does not have the financial resources to have completed this monument at any time, let alone during these difficult times.
Perhaps, too, it is intentionally empty as a place for meditation, or solitude.
I was going to post the street view, but SirFatty has already done so above. From the street, it doesn’t look quite so bad … looks like a a nice littlequiet park. Remember where it is … such facilities must take a beating in brutal ND winters. It may be that this town contributed a number of soldiers to the cause.
Other than that large crack in the wall, it appears to be in pretty good shape, considering what the winters must be like up there and how long it’s been there, being a WWI memorial. It looks like it was constructed by local craftspeople and used to host memorial gatherings inside the wall.
Seeing it from the street view put a different perspective on this. It is part of what looks like a small park in a small town. There is the American Legion hall across the street as well as the Lil’ Opryland area. Seeing the “bigger picture” of it all with the small town that it is, helps me understand it more. I’m sure these townsfolk had the right idea when they did this. And the yellow flowers are nice how they line the walkway.
Nice picture, sad picture, but nice picture.
Hi everyone, I’ve been following Matt’s progress & this site since the end of PA/beginning of OH but have never actually commented until now. Maybe if there were a statue here it was moved to another, more populated, city or town…rather than destroyed? I hope so…