A Road of Remembrance : the monument story continues
A new location
In early 2023 I began writing on Nextdoor about the stone pillars at Arapahoe and 287. I added those reports here once I launched this newsletter. With the arrival of many new subscribers (welcome!) I thought some background would be handy rather than sending everyone to other pages. (Though I will have links too!) So I am copying and pasting some info from previous posts to bring you up to speed.
Back then I knew a group was working on preserving the stone pillars at Arapahoe and 287 so I kept my eyes on other things. But over the 2022 Christmas break, I has some time to start researching what was happening. Once I did that I quickly got mad and determined to let folks know so they could join me in my madness anger.
I relied on the excellent work done by Bill Meyer of the Boulder Rotary Club and shamelessly copied and pasted from their website regarding the monuments and various documents shared there. I encourage you to check out the documents I have linked to as well, there are extensive footnotes. They are full of fascinating local history. If you have questions they are probably answered in these documents. I am on Bill’s email list and when I get a new update I share it with you.
WHAT ARE THESE MONUMENTS FOR?
A ROAD OF REMEMBRANCE FOR WORLD WAR 1
From the Rotary Club documents
“Nearly 100 years ago, a group of Boulder veterans’ and civic groups came together to create a Road of Remembrance honoring the men from Boulder County who served in World War I. The proposed Road was planned to follow Arapahoe Road, linking Boulder to a newly built section of the so-called Lincoln Highway (now US 287) in the east County.
Controversy over Boulder’s access to the Lincoln Highway raged for several years, but in 1928 Boulder civic leaders completed a memorial Gateway to the proposed Road composed of two stone pillars and an associated park. Though the Road of Remembrance was never completed, the pillars became a Boulder County landmark at the intersection of Arapahoe and US 287.”
Read more history about them here
Read much more history here, it’s full of information for local history buffs, with old pictures too. It tells of big concepts, fights between the communities, and even a fire.
Did you know there was a cannon there once upon a time?
Undated photo from “A.A. Paddock Collection: East Boulder County,” maintained by the Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder, Colorado.
ONE PILLAR WAS MOVED IN 1983
From the Rotary Club documents
“Based on the best available information, it appears that the north pillar was rebuilt – and currently remains – on land acquired for the widening project by the State in 1983 from a private landowner. According to one anecdotal report, the south pillar also was “refurbished” in 1983, though no documents have been located to support that report.”
“After the north pillar was rebuilt, the spacing between the pillars was significantly increased to allow for the additional traffic lanes.
With the completion of the 1983 reconstruction of the intersection, the Gateway as planned and constructed in 1928 had been largely demolished. The two sweeping arcs of the roadway joining at the Monument were replaced by a significantly widened single ribbon of concrete. The park, cannon and flagpole were gone, covered over with hardscape. While it appears that the south pillar remained in its original location, the north pillar had been destroyed and rebuilt 40’ from its original location.”
FAST FORWARD TO 2021
HOW THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CDOT) DROPPED THE BALL AND THE DEVELOPERS OF ERIE’S NINE MILE CORNER CAUSED MAJOR PROBLEMS
From the Rotary Club documents
“CDOT issued a permit allowing a private developer to substantially reconfigure the Arapahoe Road – US 287 intersection. Unfortunately, no historic preservation review was performed as required by Colorado law to determine the impact of the proposed construction on the pillars.
The resulting construction has substantially worsened, and in fact endangered, this historic Boulder County landmark. A November 2021 study by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) concluded that this new construction severely impacted the physical integrity and historic significance of the pillars, and added a new and serious vehicular hazard for eastbound traffic.”
THE BOULDER ROTARY CLUB SAID HEY CDOT
The Boulder Rotary Club brought this to the attention of CDOT and a too late to prevent damage consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) resulted in the study and the creation of a Mitigation Working Group composed of more than a dozen Boulder County civic, veterans, and governmental organizations. Their mission was to create a plan for preservation, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance.
NEXT STEPS
Preservation experts were brought in, various scenarios were analyzed, public meetings were held and finally, three potential options were on the table. Leave the pillars in place, which would mean further deterioration and eventual removal, move them to Legion Park west of 75th St, or move them to the northwest corner of Arapahoe and 287. Much more in-depth info about the pros and cons can be found here. It became clear that leaving them in place was not an option. The Evergreen Devco developers' work on the intersection caused too much damage, including burying the base of one of the pillars in 2’ of dirt.
In a letter to CDOT the working group gave their recommendation to move the pillars to the northwest corner of Arapahoe and 287. They explained in detail how the ball was dropped by all the entities involved, Erie’s urban renewal authority, the Town of Erie, Boulder County, CDOT, and Evergreen Devco. For those wondering because the pillars are in Boulder County Lafayette has no jurisdiction.
The letter discusses the “pork chop” built around the south tower to reconfigure the intersection. It states “Equally important, the substantial change in plans to isolate one pillar of the Monument on a “pork chop” island in the middle of traffic and partially bury it in dirt was never announced to the public or brought to the attention of SHPO or any state, county, or local historic or veterans organization. Instead, the plan proceeded essentially unnoticed and unvetted until the work was nearly finished.”
CDOT APPROVED THE NEW RELOCATION SITE AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF ARAPAHOE AND 287
In March 2023 CDOT was planning studies for the new site and short-term improvements to the monuments’ current locations.
In May 2023 Bill Meyer informed folks of the progress including working with the owner of the relocation site to purchase the land, creating a maintenance plan, looking for funding, and a possible move of the pillars in two or three years.
NOT SO FAST!
In September 2023 Bill reported the relocation site fell through. Arggg!
MAY 2024 POSSIBLE NEW RELOCATION SITE, ATLAS VALLEY.
In April 2024 I wrote “Arapahoe drivers shout out: check out CDOT's plans”
Bill’s email in May 2024 tells us:
“ CDOT is looking at the feasibility of relocating the pillars to the Atlas Valley parcel on the SW corner of 95th & Arapahoe. CDOT is planning to expand that intersection, and is presently working on the design for that expansion. The issue is whether, after the expansion, sufficient area will remain for the pillars’ relocation. We hope to get an answer from CDOT by late June.”
DECEMBER 9 2024 THE NEW SITE IN ATLAS VALLEY “IS GETTING TRACTION”
All,
The Working Group is finally getting some traction on relocating the pillars to the Atlas Valley parcel on the SW corner of 95th & Arapahoe. The plan is to replace the existing rock feature on that corner with an area containing the pillars, interpretive signage, landscaping and other amenities. A preliminary site plan is attached. CDOT and the landowner are on board, and we are now awaiting a meeting with the City of Lafayette to get their feedback.
The next phase will be to do the surveying and engineering work for the new site. We have estimates that this work can be completed for roughly $25,000 and the Working Group is raising funds for that purpose. Once we have that design work completed, we can start looking for bids on the construction phase and funds to pay for the work.
Our tentative goal is to have the Monument relocated and the area finished in time for a rededication on Veterans’ Day, November 11, 2026, during the celebration of the United States’ 250th Anniversary. A lot of work lies ahead, but we are optimistic that it will come together.
Thanks for your interest and support,
Bill
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World War I (aka The Great War) ended slightly more than 106 years ago. All of the men (and the few women) who served in the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) are now dead, but we should not - cannot - let them be forgotten. The AEF showed up in France in 1917 under the command of Black Jack Pershing (his nickname came from his service as the commanding officer of the Black Buffalo Soldiers). General Pershing refused to allow American troops to be fed into the British and French formations piecemeal and insisted on creating an American Army. under American command, fighting battles as Americans.
America did not "win" WWI, but the American forces performed extremely well and helped c compel the German Army and government to recognize that Germany could not win the war.
That marked the emergence of the United States as a world power. The men and women who served us 100+ years ago were the instrument by which we gained our position in the world. We cannot allow them to be forgotten, for their monuments to deteriorate and collapse.
They are my brothers - "for he who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother…"
whoever said we can't change history was wrong! Just ask CDOT! and the Rememberance plaque at 287 & Baseline? Karen, thanks much for all of your hard work getting this together for all of us to learn about what is going on!