As we were heading around City Park today, on Taylor Avenue, we were hailed by Monti Eaton, who was at the top of the step-seating at the park. “You’ll soon have something new to add to your tour,” he said.
In honor of the upcoming centennial celebration of “Cement Park” in May, he is putting in a new mural on the concrete of the west wall. It will cover the front of the benches, but not the tops, and the wall above the benches, so that the images will be complete from across the park.
The illustrations, which can’t be seen well in my phone-camera photograph, are of 1900-era miners posing before climbing into a cage to go to work, and pre-World-War-I soldiers marching. Both will be captured in shades of sepia/brown.
Monti (short for Montigue) does work as Bottle Knot Hollows, and is responsible for the mural of the cowboy on Upper Tombstone Canyon Road, shown below. As well as murals, he does carpentry, sign painting and carving, as well as house painting. You can reach him through his Facebook page if you want to commission your own mural.
The park, which replaced the old cemetery (yes, the bodies were moved to Evergreen), will be enjoying a centennial celebration in May. So stay tuned for more about that event and about Monti’s mural.
