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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2022.10.31 The Sound of an EraThe Sound of an Era It is the fall of 1981 and Amy Westover rides her bike toward Browns Tie and Lumber Sawmill in McCall, Idaho. The sawmill had closed its operations four years before but its vacant structure was still standing, still available for unhindered exploration. There were many wonderful places that a girl could find adventure in McCall: Ponderosa Park, the mountains, the lake, and the Little Ski Hill. All of those places would eventually bring back fond memories. But it was the memory of the mill that, one day, would provide the grown-up girl with an inspiration. An inspiration that would bring a revered part of that sawmill back to life for all of us. For many that lived in the area during the 60's and 70's, the sawmill represented the very essence of McCall. It occupied a prominent place along the shore of Payette Lake, its fiery incinerator and industrial architecture in sharp contrast to its magnificent natural setting. The structure itself seemed to take on the qualities of the workers within its walls: hard-working, diligent, enterprising, perseverant. It was the largest employer in the area, providing work for hundreds, possibly thousands, of workers: from tree cutters, truckers, and bull chain operators to barkers, saw operators, and sorters. In short, the mill kept the local economy churning ahead at full speed. The sights and sounds of the mill are still etched in the memories of those that lived in the area. But possibly, the most memorable of the mill's everyday sounds was the mill whistle. The mill whistle was the timekeeper for the mill. It's steam -generated whistle tore through the atmosphere with a deep resonant sound, reminding those that labored within its walls that it was time to start work, eat lunch, or quit for the day. Many of today's residents of McCall fondly remember the sawmill and its whistle. Susan Farber recalled, as a girl in grade school, standing on a catwalk, fascinated by the buzz of activity as workers prepared logs for cutting. She was mesmerized by the beautiful burner, watching it until she was called in for the night. But, most of all, she remembers the unique sight and sound of the mill whistle. A story from a former mill worker went something like this: on the night of the mill closing, he and a couple of guys had a few beers at a bar and decided to break into the mill and blow the whistle. They kept the sound up for nearly half an hour. It was a sound of mourning — everyone knew it meant the mill had died and that the town's way of life would never be the same. Amy Westover is all grown up now. She is considered by many to be one of the premier artists in the Northwest. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from BSU. She designs, plans, fabricates, and delivers. She creates wistful images in glass that provide us with a sense of light and warmth. She crafts unique sculptures from wood and stone that enrich us with learning opportunities, and she fashions `cycles of time' that, best of all, help us to recall events and periods with fond memories. The next time you're at the airport, check out her `Transport', representing the geographical richness of the Boise area. Or, if you are near 9th and Grove streets, the `Grove Street Illuminated' piece will amaze you with its texture, color, and historical significance. Our lives are so much richer for the art that creators like Amy bring to us. Artists touch us in ways that are unique to us as individuals, but collectively, we can all appreciate exemplary art for what it brings to us as a community. Our community is about to become even richer, for Amy Westover is bringing her creative genius back to that place so full of her memories. Amy is bringing back our mill whistle. The history of the mill whistle art project goes back a few years. Amy Westover had been hired in 2019 by the McCall Redevelopment Agency to provide them with a public art planning document for the Downtown East Urban Renewal District. which includes Brown Park. Amy's research for the project led her back to the sawmill, which had operated in the Brown Park site until 1977. The Central Idaho Historical Museum seemed like a likely start for Amy to begin her hands-on research. Walt Sledzieski, who helps run the museum, offered her a tour. During that tour, he mentioned that the original mill whistle was right there, sitting in a corner, collecting dust. "It sure would be good to hear that whistle blow again," Walt remarked. Amy was inspired. Like Walt, she also thought it would be great to hear the whistle blow again. Maybe the urban renewal art project was just the vehicle that could make that happen. She began to think about what a finished art project with the whistle could look like. The whistle could sit atop a structure, a pedestal. The pedestal could represent the most iconic part of the mill: the cone -shaped burner. If the whistle could blow again maybe she could take the "dormant energy" of the whistle and make it "breathe once again" for all to see and hear. Fast forward to December, 2020. The McCall Public Arts Committee unanimously selected Amy for the art project from a very competitive Call to Artists process. The City of McCall commissioned Amy's proposed public art piece, Mill Whistle: Sound of an Era, with a budget of $80,000. An additional amount of up to $45,000 was approved for steam generating equipment. Funding would be provided by the McCall Redevelopment Agency. Now it was time for Amy to get to work. McCall's project would call for a much smaller, portable boiler that could be stored in one place and moved to Brown Park when needed. Who had the expertise for this kind of thing? Amy's research led to Larry Sprecklemeier, the `nation's leading whistle expert'. A retired industrial designer who lives in Ohio, Larry had helped restore the whistle from the Titanic once it had been raised from its watery grave. Larry had a museum of whistles in his basement. He knew everything about whistles and how to make them blow. So Amy began corresponding with Larry to find out who could best restore the whistle and what kind of boiler would best provide the steam needed. The boiler was particularly key since very small boilers were in short supply. Every week they talked — for months — all the while Larry was educating Amy of the type of boiler she needed for her project and trying to find one for her. With her newfound knowledge from Larry, Amy found an ad on-line selling a small steam boiler. Her inquiry led to a phone call with Ross Bendixen, at Anacortes Steam. Ross had made a small, wood -fired boiler that could blow a 6 -inch whistle. He said, "I'II make you a boiler for an 8 -inch whistle. Give me a few weeks. Bring your whistle up to Anacortes and we'll see if it works. If it works, you can take it back with you. If it doesn't work I won't charge you a penny." Amy and her husband, Jay Blackhurst, went up to Anacortes with the mill whistle and tested it with Ross' boiler. It worked! And it was within her budget! Amy says that it was almost like destiny - that it all was `meant to happen'. If you would like to watch that test, you can go to amywestover.com/portfolio , McCall Mill Whistle/Sinker Davis Test 3 (You tube) and watch a delighted Amy blowing our whistle! So, the whistle worked. The steam boiler was perfect. Amy and Jay could now move forward with restoring the whistle, building the boiler trailer, and constructing the pedestal - work that would take another five months. The pedestal is a work of art in itself. It is cone shaped, to represent the mill's incinerator. Corten steel panels, fabricated byJeremy Woodland in Boise, have been shaped and connected together with over a thousand bolts. Once moisture is applied to the structure, the steel will rust — resulting in a color similar to the mill's burner. The cone now rises to almost fifteen feet in Amy's backyard. The whistle has been repaired using a braised welding technique by Samuel Aarons of Idaho City and was finished with a new coat of black -matted, metal die. Its raised `Sinker -Davis' letters have been highlighted with liquid gilding. About the only remaining job is to transport everything to McCall and install it in Brown Park. Delta James, Economic Development planner for the city of McCall and liaison to the Public Arts Committee, describes the upcoming dedication event and what it will mean to her and the community. "A dedication of the Mill Whistle project and a celebration of the accomplishments of the McCall Redevelopment Agency's 30 years of projects in the area will be held during lunch time (12:30 - 2pm) on Thursday, October 28, 2021. The event is free and open to the public and will feature a presentation from a former McCall Mill employee and sounding of Amy Westover's Mill Whistle, 44 years to the date that the whistle last blew on the Mill's last day of operations on October 28, 1977. I'm really excited about this project. It is a great example of how public art can help celebrate and preserve the unique character and history of a community." And what will it mean to Amy, who now goes by the nickname `Idaho Whistle Girl' in some circles, to have the whistle project completed and installed? "This project will not only be a new signature public artwork for McCall, but will also begin a new town tradition; the whistle sound ushering in a new era from the remains of the last one."