Totem Pole Carved With 50 Years Of Memories

Totem Pole Carved With 50 Years Of Memories AG WORLD Ag World 24-3-24 To commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary, Wallace and Barbara Anderson created a colorful 21-ft. tall totem pole that's carved with the story of their lives together. The pole stands near the couples' rural Star Prairie, Wis., home. They call it their "family tree". "I've always had an interest in American Indian culture," says Barb, explaining how she got the idea. "The totem pole represents our lives and the things that have been important to us." A white oak tree from a nearby farm was hauled to their yard. The tree was laid on several wooden fence posts to keep it off the ground, allowing it to be rolled and turned easily. The first thing they did was remove the bark and knobs where limbs had grown. When the tree was smooth enough to work on, Barb applied a preservative and then painted the tree with two coats of deep brown. Then the tree was notched into five sections, and the notches were painted with bright colors. Barb drew the patterns and a router was used to trace them into the tree. The patterns were then painted. The bottom section of the pole starts with the early years of their marriage. There's an image of a car - a 1930 Ford sport coupe with a rumble seat. Wallace trapped and skinned muskrats to pay for it. "In that car, we felt like masters of our destiny; brave enough to tackle marriage during the Depression years," says Barb. As you move up the pole there are images of a farm, cows, horses, and a Canadian flag, symbolizing where Wallace was born and where they took many of their trips. An Irish shamrock honors Barb's heritage. And, of course, there's an American flag. Children's birth dates are recorded. There's even a shock of corn to remind them of the time Wallace lost his wristwatch û only to find it the next morning tangled in the twine around a corn shock. The last section of the tree is filled with the couples' hobbies and things they're doing now in their retirement. When the tree was nearly complete a 6-ft. deep hole was dug and a front-end loader was used to set the tree in the hole. Cement was used to anchor it. The last step was to mount a 3-ft. tall eagle - done by a professional chain saw artist - on top of the pole. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wallace and Barbara Anderson, 2287 Huntington Dr., Star Prairie, Wis. 54026 (ph 715 248-3827).

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