In an earlier blog post we describe the whirlwind quarter-century where Shelton carved at least sixteen large-scale and medium-sized story poles for public display across the United States. This pole is one of them.
Unfortunately, after standing in Krape Park since 1935, Shelton's story pole eventually fell into such severe disrepair from weather and bug infestations that it had to be taken down.
The Freeport Park District debated what to do with the decaying pole as it sat in their storage facility, ultimately deciding that the Burke Museum's large Northwest Coast collection, expertise, and connection to the artist's region made the Burke the ideal place to send the pole.
We wanted to help bring the pole home, but transporting it nearly 2,000 miles across the country presented a significant obstacle. With the support of generous donors, we raised funds to transport the pole in a forty-foot-long crate from Illinois to Seattle on the back of a flatbed trailer.
Members of the Tulalip Tribes, Hibulb Cultural Center and Burke staff welcomed the Shelton story pole to the Burke Museum on March 14, 2014—including Wayne Williams, the grandson of William Shelton.
What's next for the story pole? We've had a conservator look at it and estimate the cost of repairs and we'll likely do additional fundraising in the future to restore this important piece of history.
