A rich, local legacy of tributes to military service

Midland Square

Northern Box Elder County Veterans Memorial at Midland Square in downtown Tremonton sits on the site of the historic Midland Hotel. In 1995, an electrical fire started inside the hotel, totally destroying it and other businesses inside. Tremonton City purchased the land in 1998 and a beautification committee was created to build a beautiful park named Midland Square to act as a community gathering area.

As plans for the park neared completion, committee members desired to place a Veterans Memorial in the park. The monument would be a reminder of the freedoms enjoyed because of the sacrifices of the men and women from Northern Box Elder County who served our country. 

In January of 2000,  A.C. Christensen, a veteran of World War II, who spent three and a half years in a Japanese prison camp, was asked to chair the beautification committee, and also supervise its construction.

It was decided it would be necessary to find the names of Northern Box Elder County veterans who had served, so in an enormous undertaking, every home in the area was visited by a veteran. Each community, including Beaver Dam, Bear River City, Bothwell, Deweyville, Elwood, Fielding, Garland, Grouse Creek, Honeyville, Howell, Park Valley, Penrose, Portage, Promontory, Snowville, Thatcher, Tremonton, and Washaki was canvassed, gathering the names of all that had served or were still serving in the military. 

A groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate building the site was held on March 31, 2001. A beautiful ceremony included tributes by relatives or friends of seventy-eight veterans who lost their lives serving their country. Afterwards, in a breath-taking ceremony, colors were posted in their name on Midland Square. 

The memorial consists of a block-shaped monument displaying portraits of the four Borgstrom brothers from nearby Thatcher, Utah who died within six weeks of each other in 1944, during World War II. Local artist Jackie Allred Hunlow sculpted the portraits. A massive bronze statue, sculpted by local artist, Val Lewis gazes toward the four brothers.. Standing 7’ 7” tall, the larger-than-life sculpture stands watch over the names of over 3,000 Box Elder County veterans who served in the military and whose names are now on permanent display on the memorial. The memorial was dedicated on August 18, 2001 as a reminder to all that patriotism, love of country and freedoms is alive; and as a constant reminder that “Freedom Isn’t Free.”

Tremonton’s Riverview Cemetery

Centrally located in Tremonton’s Riverview Cemetery, located at 175 E. 1200 S. (also known as Rocket Road)  is another special monument to those who have served in the military from the Tremonton area.  Known as the Star Memorial, this striking display contains a brass statue, dedicated to the area’s veterans.  Plaques display the names of those who served in our country’s various wars.

The Bellmaker of Malad 

The beautiful Bell Memorial is a striking monument to Box Elder county’s veterans, dedicated in Riverview cemetery on Memorial Day, 2022. The story of this memorial and those who constructed it, is a fascinating tale of some of the talented people who make their home in the area.

Doug Adams, of Malad, ID, self-described as “robustly middle-aged,” was a steel worker for thirty years. But, after seeing a bell Doug had made 25 years earlier, his artist wife, Dianne, inspired him to follow his passion and create metal sculpture. 

Given his artistic success, Doug is out of the steel mill for good. His powerful creations are both modern and historical. But, he doesn’t work alone- Doug and Diane’s work have literally and figuratively fused together. Their lives and art have seamlessly melded into an alchemy of sorts, with their artwork moving both towards their future.

They started collaborating artistically when Dianne dreamed of wanting to create a steel frame and incorporate real rocks into a painting.  She approached Doug, saying, “I’m going to have to learn how to weld now.” Doug happily joined her work, and now his metal bell-making is seen throughout her paintings and frames, while her glasswork is fused into his bells. And frequently their son, Ryan also joins in.

Doug and Dianne are nature-lovers, committed to using recycled and found material in their work. One of their bells incorporates a piece of ancient quarry stone from the Salt Lake Temple foundation. Another is made around a newel post from historic Hotel Utah. Doug proudly tells how many of his bells are crafted from old, abandoned CO2 soda pop containers. Surprisingly, their tonal qualities and craftsmanship are unsurpassed in beauty. He controls the tone of his bells, by cutting them to different lengths.

This publication’s cover photo is a stunning bell memorial Doug created to reside in the Tremonton cemetery. When contacted about constructing a monument honoring the veterans of Box Elder county, Doug enthusiastically agreed to the project. 

Though he was paid a small stipend for producing the beautiful monument, Doug insists he would probably have completed it at no cost, since he is a proud veteran and believes in supporting the spirit of the community in which he lives. IT’s understood that we can never be too grateful; nor can we ever repay enough for the sacrifices of our local veterans