Gospodor Monument Will Live on In Toledo

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Ever since a statue of Jesus Christ in South Lewis County was toppled by high winds in November, several Toledo citizens have tried to figure a way to salvage what they can from the Gospodor Monument Park.

The peculiar structures commissioned by now-deceased Seattle multimillionaire Dominic Gospodor to commemorate Native Americans, victims of the Holocaust, Mother Teresa and others have decayed since they were built in 2001, subjected to the elements that have contributed to a slow demise.

But one of those structures, a large wooden eagle carving, is enclosed in a glass case and remains in good condition. It’ll soon be getting a new home, with several groups working together to move the structure to downtown Toledo.

“When the property was turned over to us, there was nothing we could do from a preservation standpoint,” Cowlitz Tribe cultural resources director Dave Burlingame said Thursday. “The eagle is in good shape, and we’ll be giving it to the city.”

The Cowlitz Tribe took ownership of the sculptures off Interstate 5 just south of milepost 63 in 2012, two years after Gospodor died. The property was intended to be maintained for historical and cultural uses; however, Gospodor’s estate left the tribe no money to do so. That meant the monuments, which stand on tall steel pillars and are easily visible from the freeway, would likely decay over the years.

And decay they have: just a short time after discovering an outstretched arm on the Jesus statue had fallen, the effigy of the man who once famously calmed the wind in the Bible was no match for it in November. Statues of Mother Teresa and Chief Seattle aren’t in great condition either, Burlingame said.

“Most of those monuments were made from hemlock,” Burlingame added, saying that the choice of wood used wasn’t exactly the most durable. “They decayed rather easily.”

Vision:TOLEDO, a nonprofit organization that has contributed to several revitalization projects in the city of more than 700, approached the tribe in November about moving it to the city. Mike Morgan, chair of the organization, said the group gave the tribe their proposal, which they accepted.

“We have an interest in trying to preserve those (monuments),” Morgan said. “The first priority is to get the eagle out of there.”

Once the weather clears for a few days — Morgan says the ground is too soft to take any equipment to the site to move the monument right now — the monument will be taken to its new home on Second and Cowlitz streets, easily visible from the main drag through town.



“There used to be a gas station, a little Texaco there, and the slab that it sat on is still there,” Morgan said. “We looked at that and thought it would be an ideal spot.”

Morgan added that he would like to have the process completed by the time the 2015 Cheese Days celebration kicks off this summer.

Burlingame said the tribe made the decision to simply hand off the structure to the city to reduce administrative work and to show a gesture of goodwill toward the town, which expressed interest in hosting the monument.

“It’s the easiest way to do this for all parties,” Burlingame said. “The plan is written, the tribal chairman okayed it and we’ll be presenting it at the next Toledo city council meeting.”

Burlingame added that the monument will likely stand next to adjoining signage acknowledging the donation from the tribe, and Morgan said another sign would likely be posted explaining who Gospodor was.

As for the other structures, Burlingame said the tribe is trying to see what is and is not worth saving. Despite the statue of Christ falling, there is someone interested in acquiring the arm that fell first, Burlingame said.

“That’s going to be one of the last physical remnants of the monument,” Burlingame said. “We’re certainly not going to discount other people’s feelings for the property.”

Morgan said Vision:TOLEDO is interested in seeing what they can do to save whatever they can. Perhaps, Morgan added, while the traffic that once slowed down to see the quirky monuments when they were built likely won’t return, it would be a nice touch to have more people traveling through Toledo able to see those monuments from a perspective they couldn’t get while just rushing by at 70 miles per hour.

“We ought to see if there are other places in town for the other statues,” Morgan said. “It would just make sense that once we get one in here, we can put it on the map and say there’s another reason to visit Toledo.”