The Loneliest Pyramid

The Loneliest Pyramid

     On an almost forgotten stretch of red dirt road in the middle of nowhere--or more precisely somewhere between Laramie & Cheyenne, Wyoming stands a monument, a sandstone pyramid that at first glance would be mistaken for the remnant of some long forgotten culture.

      Instead it's a tribute to Oaks & Oliver Ames. But who were these brothers & what did they do to deserve their own monument? Oaks Ames was a U.S. representative to the United States Congress from Massachusetts, whereas Oliver became the President of the Union Pacific Railroad who worked closely with William Durant (those of you who are fans of "Hell on Wheels" will know of whom I speak) to bilk the citizens of the United States out of approximately $50,000,000.

      Apparently the stories never change--just the names & the players--so why am I always so appalled by our latest, greatest scam artist? This election cycle shouldn't surprise me so much, I guess . . .

   

      If you are interested in learning more about the illustrious Ames Brothers & their exploits, I will provide a link to an article about them at the end. But apparently the pyramid was a public relations scheme to bolster the reputation of bothe the Ames brothers and the Union Pacific Railroad. For Kathleen & I it was an opportunity to drive about a 15 mile stretch of the Old Lincoln Highway--red dirt road, interesting rock formations, herds of prawn horned antelope--in other words the real feel of driving the "old road"--well, except that our Mazda CX-9 kept us safe & dry despite the sleet storm raging outside.

    

      Greetings from the "old road"

      Kathleen & Ron

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Monument 

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2259 

Addendum:
    

     I wrote this post quickly & when I was very tired—so I just noticed that there were both mistakes & errors. So, let’s try again.

     First, it was Thomas Durant, not William.

      Secondly, one of the parts of the story that I found most interesting was that the Union Pacific Railroad built this pyramid to bolster both their reputations and that of the Ames brothers. It was built at the highest geographical point in the area—which was also a watering stop for the train. Passengers were allowed to disembark & view the monument—in fact, a hoist & harness system had been devised to lift willing passengers to the top of the monument from which they got the grand panoramic view of the countryside.  Several years later though, the Union Pacific moved the tracks several miles away—and then moved again even further away—leaving this monument . . . well, almost literally in the middle of nowhere. Doesn’t it seem a fitting slight & tribute to a couple of greedy scoundrels? There had also been talk of relocationg the bodies of the deceased Ames brothers & entombing them in their monument—but that never happened.

      Hmmm, I can think of at least one present day political scoundrel that I would like to entomb in a pyramid in the middle of nowhere & forget about—but I guess that’s a different story for a different kind of blog.