Living Wheel Park

The town of Parker came to be due to its important location at the intersection of the Cherokee Trail and the Smokey Hill Trail. The Twenty Mile House was a spot where travelers would stop, at the intersection of what is now Parker Road and Mainstreet. And yes, in Parker it's "Mainstreet," not "Main Street." A small park, Living Wheel Park, now sits at this location. It's not a park with picnic tables or playgrounds, but there are a few items worth taking a moment to appreciate.

One of the most prominent features is a large and detailed sculpture by Ralph Crawford called Run to Twenty Mile. It depicts a stagecoach drawn by six horses bringing travelers to Twenty Mile House. 

Though I love many of the art we find around the Denver area, pieces that celebrate our region's western heritage are often among my favorites. This piece is particularly detailed. I may be wrong, but one of the individuals riding in the stagecoach sure looks like he could be Buffalo Bill Cody.

Nearby, is a sculpture called Self Made Man by Bobbie K Carlyle. It depicts a man carving himself out of stone.

The actual wheel-shaped area that gives the park its name is dedicated to honoring our nation's military. The center of the wheel features a sculpture of an eagle called Patient Warrior. The piece is by sculptor Christopher Romero.

To the west side of the wheel, another sculpture serves as a memorial to all US veterans. The plague indicates that it exists as result of an Eagle Scout project conducted by a local youth.

Living Wheel Park is located at 18995 Mainstreet in Parker.

USS Indianapolis Memorial - Broomfield

On a recent trip to Broomfield, Colorado, a suburb situated about midway between Denver and Boulder, I came across a memorial to those who served on the USS Indianapolis.  If you don't know the story of the USS Indianapolis...well, then you haven't seen the movie Jaws.

In the film, Captain Quint (Robert Shaw) tells the story of how the ship was sunk by torpedo fire after having delivered the atomic bomb.  The survivors waited four days in shark-infested waters to be rescued.  Of the 1197 sailors on board, only 317 survived.

This memorial was erected in 2000.  One of the major contributors was Broomfield resident and Indianapolis survivor Paul J. Murphy...who I'm pretty sure I met at the airport a few years ago.  I was returning from a trip and was riding on the shuttle bus to one of the long-term parking lots.  With me on the bus was an elderly man and his wife, both of whom were wearing various military insignias.  Some of the other passengers started asking them some questions and they explained they were returning from a reunion of Indianapolis survivors.  "Do you know the story of the Indianapolis?" his wife said.  Of course, my brain thought, "You mean the ship they talk about in Jaws?" but I didn't say that.  Instead, we all just let these folks tell their story...because even if you do know the story it's always better to let those who lived it share.  The wife mentioned that her husband was, at the time, the only survivor living in Colorado.

This simple memorial can be found on the northwest side of the pond at Community Park in Broomfield, right near the amphitheater.