Wednesday, June 1, 2022

The Codger Pole

Small towns take their football rivalries seriously but seldom to this extent.-  replaying a game that took place 50 years ago! It was an all-in-fun game of touch football between the codgers who had last met on a snow covered field in November 1938. That year the St. John Eagles won but it evened out in 1988 with a win for the Colfax Bulldogs. The story didn't end there though. Artist John LaBenne was commissioned to make a carving of the event which he did using a chainsaw and five 65-foot tall cedar poles. Each man pictured had agree to pitch in and pay part of the LaBenne's commission but a bad lentil crop cut into their incomes and the amount collected was just a little over $1,000. LaBenne who had spent four months living in Colfax to finish the carving was not happy and after he had returned home to California he stated that if his car ran he would go back to Colfax and set a match to the pole!

The small park where the pole is located has paved paths and curb cuts. The pole can also be viewed without leaving your vehicle

Parking lots are on both sides of the park. They are not large enough for most RVs but there are parking spaces on the street.  Pole  46.87806, -117.3653

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