Gospodor Monument Park is a

roadside attraction A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboard (advertis ...

along

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

near

Toledo, Washington Toledo is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 631 at the 2020 census. The community is home to an annual Cheese Days festival that celebrates the town's dairy history. Etymology The area underwent several na ...

, in the United States. It features four sculptures, collectively known as the Gospodor monuments, created in 2002. The tallest sculpture, meant to commemorate

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...

, stands over 100 feet (30 m) and features a gold painted wooden statue of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. Another sculpture monument features a carving of Mother Teresa posed in prayer. Two additional towering artworks honor victims of

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, which features an eternal electric flame, and a 100-foot tall tribute depicting

Chief Seattle Seattle ( – June 7, 1866; , ; usually styled as Chief Seattle) was a leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish peoples. A leading figure among his people, he pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers, forming a personal relationship wi ...

, commemorating Native Americans and other indigenous tribes. Smaller memorials to historical figures, such as Susan B. Anthony, and a carved, wooden eagle encased in glass, were later added as the park expanded. After their installation in 2002, the sculptures caused routine traffic jams due to drivers slowing down and

rubbernecking Rubbernecking is a derogatory term primarily used to refer to bystanders stopping previous activity to stare at accidents. More generally, it can refer to anyone staring at an object of everyday interest compulsively. The term ''rubbernecking'' ...

. The monuments, along with their night lights, were highly controversial with local residents and the government of Lewis County acted to prevent additional sculptures from being erected. Dominic Gospodor, who commissioned the artworks and was the landowner, died in 2010. Ownership of the park was purchased by, and transferred to, the Cowlitz Tribe two years later, with a focus on land and wildlife conservation. Gospodor's estate did not provide any funds to maintain the works and the pieces began decaying due to weather and lack of maintenance. The glass encased eagle, in good condition, was moved to downtown Toledo under a permanent loan agreement between the Cowlitz people and the city.

References

External links

See also

References

External links