Holmes Peak will be the site of 'The American'

The artist connected to "The American" statue selects "Holmes Peak" as the construction site. <br><br>That means the planned statue and the botanical garden will be at same location. <br><br>Long before

Friday, April 23rd 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The artist connected to "The American" statue selects "Holmes Peak" as the construction site.

That means the planned statue and the botanical garden will be at same location.

Long before that hill was considered for the statue - the man who wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was writing about the spot. News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan has the story.

Marlin Ellis is a big fan of history - and he loves telling his Cleveland 8th grade students about a man he's come to admire - the author Washington Irving. Irvingâ€™s chronicle of what's now Oklahoma records a stop near a remarkable peak and a meeting with an Osage boy - a moment recording a painting - the earliest image of Bald Hill. â€œI guess the hunters back then knew this hill - one of the guides and one of the captains said he knew about this hill.â€

The hill was then called "Bald Hill", but now it's "Holmes Peak", the site selected for construction of "The American" statue. â€œIt's got a little history built in about the Osage Indians, and the Washington Irving mention in a famous book.â€

Holmes Peak is 7 miles northwest of downtown - and it's the highest point anywhere near Tulsa. From the ground the line of sight stretches all the way to Coweta, Owasso, Skiatook, Sand Springs and Jenks - from atop the statue the view would be even better.

Besides the history the Holmes Peak site has several natural advantages - the main one is that it's almost ready to build on. The statue has to be built on bedrock and on Holmes Peak - that's just a few inches below the surface. â€œI think it's a wonderful location, it's a beautiful area, you can see all around Tulsa.â€

Marvin Ellis thinks the site is perfect for the statue - and he won't mind if his favorite author gets a little extra publicity.

The statue and the base for it will be as tall as a 21 story building. The artist says his supporters will pay for construction. The city of Tulsa plans to build roads and other infrastructure to get people to the site.