Roald Amundsen Monument, (sculpture).

Roald Amundsen Monument, (sculpture).

Bjorgan, Ovida A., sculptor.

Merly, Anton, contractor.

Scott, Jim, contractor.

Roald Amundsen Monument, (sculpture).

1975. Dedicated July 4, 1976.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: aluminum or stainless steel; Base: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. Diam. 24 in.; Base: approx. H. 48 in. x W. 32 in.

Ovida A. Bjorgan (On neck of globe:) Roald Amundsen/Memorial/Sponsored by/Sons of Norway/Redwood Lodge/Santa Cruz, California/World Globe/made by/Ovida A. Bjorgan (On plaque 1:) IN COMMEMORATION OF THE VISIT PAID/TO EAGLE CITY, ALASKA BY THE POLAR EXPLORER/ROALD AMUNDSEN, WHO ARRIVED HERE AT NOON/DECEMBER 5, 1905, ON WHICH DAY HE DISPATCHED/A TELEGRAM TO FRIDTJOF NANSEN, NORWAY,/ANNOUNCING THE CONQUEST OF/THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. (On plaque 2:) ROALD AMUNDSEN BORN 1872 NORWAY DIED MAY 1928/IN AN EFFORT TO RESCUE/UMBERTO NOBILE/WHO HAD CRASHED/NORTH OF SPITZBERGEN/IN THE DIRIGIBLE ITALIA/AT OSLO, NANSEN GAVE THE MEMORIAL/ADDRESS: "AND THEN, WHEN HIS LIFES WORK/WAS ACCOMPLISHED, HE RETURNED TO THE/ARCTIC-----AND FOUND AN UNKNOWN GRAVE/UNDER THE CLEAN SKY OF THE ICE WORLD./BUT FROM THAT GREAT WHITE SILENCE, HIS NAME/WILL SHINE OUT IN THE GLOW OF THE NORTHERN/LIGHTS TO INSPIRE THE YOUTH OF OUR COUNTRY--./IT IS MEN WITH COURAGE, DETERMINATION, AND STRENGTH/LIKE HIS THAT GIVE US CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE, THE/WORLD IS STILL YOUNG THAT BEARS SUCH SONS."(On plaque 3:) CREW NAMES/OF/GJOA/PEDER RISTVEDT/ADOLF LINDSTROM/HELMER HANSEN/GODFRED HANSEN/ANTON LUND/GUSTAV WIIK signed

Monument consists of a reflecting globe perched on a four-sided pyramidal base. There are four plaques on the base; two contain text and two are reliefs. The reliefs depict Roald Amundsen in winter Arctic clothing and his ship the Gjoa, and a map tracing his route from Norway through the Northwest Passage to Eagle, Alaska. The land masses on the globe are also in relief.

Portrait male -- Amundsen, Roald -- Full length

Occupation -- Other -- Explorer

Ethnic -- Norwegian

Allegory -- Place -- Earth

Architecture -- Boat -- Gjoa

Outdoor Sculpture -- Alaska -- Eagle City

Administered by Eagle Historical Society, P. O. Box 23, Eagle City, Alaska 99738

Located Amundsen Memorial Park, 1st Street & Amundsen Avenue, Eagle City, Alaska

The sculpture was erected by the Sons of Norway with additional funding from the State of Alaska Division of Tourism in the amount of $1,000, the Alaska Bicentennial Commission in the amount of $500. The artist, a Sons of Norway member, conceived the idea. Two members of the Eagle Historical Society, Anton Merly and Jim Scott poured the concrete. A $5,000 grant from Atlantic Richfield in 1985 enabled the completion of the monument with two of the plaques and additional landscaping. Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) was a Norwegian explorer who discovered the Northwest Passage. He telegraphed the news to his sponsor from Eagle City, and remained there for two months while awaiting supplies. SOS! survey form lists the media as aluminum and attached articles list media as stainless steel. IAS files include related articles from the Eagle Historical Society newsletter, Sept. 1976 and Sept. 1985.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Alaska survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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