MAKE A MEME
View Large Image
| View Original: | Walt_Whitman_Inscription_on_Mazinaw_Rock_-_Bon_Echo.jpg (4200x2992) | |||
| Download: | Original | Medium | Small | Thumb |
| Courtesy of: | www.flickr.com | More Like This | ||
| Keywords: old walt oldwalt walt whitman waltwhitman merrill denison merrilldenison flora macdonald denison floramacdonalddenison bon echo bonecho mazinaw bon echo inn bonechoinn 1919 sol cummings solcummings stone mason stonemason rock cliff 1819 blackandwhite monochrome text black and white The date inscription is a mystery to many people. It signifies the birth of Walt Whitman in 1819 and also the completion of the Bon Echo inscription in 1919. In essence celebrating 100 years since the birth of the great poet. The following information on Old Walt was obtained from 'The Mazinaw Experience' by John Campbell. Upon Merrill Denison's return from the war in 1919, he learned of his mother's (Flora MacDonald Denison) plans for the inscription honouring Whitman. Originally Flora wanted a bust of Walt Whitman carved into the Rock similar to Mount Rushmore but the idea proved to be too costly. Being an architect by training, he readily agreed to complete the working drawings. The passage on the rock was taken from Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' in the book - Leaves of Grass. At the re-dedication of the Old Walt inscription on June 29, 1965, Merrill said of his mother that" "She saw in the qualities of the Big Rock-elemental, seemingly ageless, so little affected by the passage of the centuries - the self-same qualities she found in Whitman: the poet and the man." The task of making the inscription was not easy. A local miner, Sol Cummings, drilled 3 holes in the Rock high above the water's surface and inserted 3 iron pins with eyes at the end - this was completed in the winter using a ladder on the frozen lake. The next summer a scaffold was built suspended by the pins. Two stonemasons from Aberdeen, Scotland were hired to do the work. Working with only hand tools it took all summer. The rock was so hard they had to stop frequently to sharpen their chisels. The inscription was completed in August 1919. Flora MacDonald Denison is the woman sitting under the 'P' on the bottom line. Merrill Denison is under the 'KNOW' with the small girl sitting on his lap. Park of the Bon Echo Park Collection Note: All CDHS Flickr content is available for the public use (non-commercial) providing our Rights Statement is followed: pioneer.mazinaw.on.ca/flickr_statement.php The date inscription is a mystery to many people. It signifies the birth of Walt Whitman in 1819 and also the completion of the Bon Echo inscription in 1919. In essence celebrating 100 years since the birth of the great poet. The following information on Old Walt was obtained from 'The Mazinaw Experience' by John Campbell. Upon Merrill Denison's return from the war in 1919, he learned of his mother's (Flora MacDonald Denison) plans for the inscription honouring Whitman. Originally Flora wanted a bust of Walt Whitman carved into the Rock similar to Mount Rushmore but the idea proved to be too costly. Being an architect by training, he readily agreed to complete the working drawings. The passage on the rock was taken from Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' in the book - Leaves of Grass. At the re-dedication of the Old Walt inscription on June 29, 1965, Merrill said of his mother that" "She saw in the qualities of the Big Rock-elemental, seemingly ageless, so little affected by the passage of the centuries - the self-same qualities she found in Whitman: the poet and the man." The task of making the inscription was not easy. A local miner, Sol Cummings, drilled 3 holes in the Rock high above the water's surface and inserted 3 iron pins with eyes at the end - this was completed in the winter using a ladder on the frozen lake. The next summer a scaffold was built suspended by the pins. Two stonemasons from Aberdeen, Scotland were hired to do the work. Working with only hand tools it took all summer. The rock was so hard they had to stop frequently to sharpen their chisels. The inscription was completed in August 1919. Flora MacDonald Denison is the woman sitting under the 'P' on the bottom line. Merrill Denison is under the 'KNOW' with the small girl sitting on his lap. Park of the Bon Echo Park Collection Note: All CDHS Flickr content is available for the public use (non-commercial) providing our Rights Statement is followed: pioneer.mazinaw.on.ca/flickr_statement.php | ||||
