My Montana

As Seen by Martha Hendrickson

 

Unique

 

When given a lemon, make lemonade! These seven trees were all blown down from the microburst. The remaining high stumps have been converted to chainsaw artwork by local area chainsaw artists.

Following the series of Chainsaw artwork are iron sculptures overseeing the west and south entrances to Libby.


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This is the entrance to Fireman's Park. Notice the bear cub peeking out of the top of the hollow tall stump.

This was carved by Dave Clarke of Eureka in 1997.


An Old Man. This sculpture entitled this "Blowing in the Wind" in reference to the 100 mile per winds that blew during the microburst. He is facing towards the direction of the storm. Notice how his beard is also blowing in the wind. Lost in the shadows, the old man is sitting on a stump. At the base of the stump is an opening and a carved squirrel has also emerged to observe the storm.

On an attached plaque: "It is one of the Beautiful Compensations of This life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself".

This carving was done by Libby artist Russ Harmon.

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A Fireman stands ready with axe in hand. The attached plaque states, "Dedicated to All Volunteers".

This is another sculpture by Libby carver Russ Harmon.

 

Entitled "In His Hands", these Praying Hands intentionally face the Libby City Cemetary located behind Fireman's Park. This artwork required 54 hours to complete.

This was carved by Libby artist Al Youso.

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Bearing an "H" within the Family Coat of Arms Shield, this Viking stands guard at one of the entrances to the Libby Chamber of Commerce and Fireman's Park.

Carved by Libby carver Ivan Hagen.

 

This bear waves a friendly "Hello, and Welcome" as he sits on a stump in the playground area amid the children's swings and sand pits.

This is another carving done in 1997 by Dave Clarke of Eureka.

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With her head caught in the shadows, this mother bear chair with 4 cubs is ready for a picnic as they sit in the picnic pavilion of Fireman's Park. Three cubs can be seen in front. Another one is hiding behind Mom on the backside of the carving.

This large carving was done by Libby artist Mike Young.

 

Below are views of iron sculpturing done by two artists who grew up in Libby. When these photos were taken, both eagles were in the South part of Libby and across the highway from each other. The circling eagle has since been relocated to the west side of town and now graces the yard at the Libby Chamber of Commerce. The landing eagle remains in it's original location watching over the south part of town.

 

This circling bald eagle is constructed of sheet metal with a stainless steel head and tail. With a wingspan of 37 feet, 8 inches, it equals the size of a Cessna airplane. It is about 18 feet long. About 800 hours was required for building the sculpture in 1997.

Welding sculptures are Todd Berget a local teacher and Darien Greason a school teacher from Alaska. Both grew up in Libby and are lifelong friends.

 

This eagle is on the attack for prey. It is also constructed of sheet metal and stainless steel. Muriatic acid was used on both eagles to remove the factory anti-rust protectant from the steel, causing them to rust overnight. Both eagles weigh about 4,000 pounds each. This eagle took about 900 hours for construction. Wing tip to wing tip measurement is less than the circling eagle, however, it is the same if measured from the wing tip down to the back and back up to the other wing tip. Materials and supplies for each eagle ran about $5,000 to $6,000. This eagle was constructed in 1998.

Sculptures are Todd Berget and Darien Greason. Future plans include 2 20-foot wing span eagles flying together.

 

 

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