Word Quiz

Are you aware this memorial once had a magnficent waterfall running next to it? If LA were a world-class city, more like Roma or Paris, something like that would have been reactivated a long time ago.

City official in Roma: "Because of a drought in Italy almost 30 years ago, the Trevi Fountain was shut down at that time and remains dry today."

City official in Paris: "Because of the energy crisis of several years ago, the Eiffel Tower remains dark today."

Uh-huh. Yea, right.

www.cityofla.org/ELP/guide/frtmoore.htm

"To the right of the bas reliefs is an 80-foot-wide waterfall that has been out of service since the 1977 drought. A 237-foot-long brick facade, serving as a backdrop for a 68 foot high pylon, is the largest part of the Memorial. Albert Stewart designed the 16' x 11' American eagle on the pylon as well as the incised relief on the low wall along the sidewalk depicting in narrative form the 1100- mile march of the Mormon Battalion from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Los Angeles."

Privation is basically the same as being deprived. Seemingly opposite words, privation and deprivation, but they are almost the same. Kinda like flammable and inflammable.

In the early 60s, as a little girl, I loved that waterfall and I too would love to see it flowing again, not to many people I know even know of it, but it was absolutely beautiful the sound of the waterfall could be heard from blocks away and the splashing water could be felt if you were standing on the sidewalk in front of it, and the best thing was that from a several blocks away, southeast of the waterfall, it looked as though the the Hollywood Fwy ran right under this big waterfall, a great optical illusion, it did add a lot of charm and tranquility to the city! Restoring original beauty and charm to the city would be giving back something special for everyone to enjoy.

Liza, thanks for the vivid recollection of how the waterfall at Fort Moore once was. It sounds magnificent. Indeed, the water should flow again.

That such a beautiful thing could be turned off and seemingly forgotten about underscores the differences between Americans and Europeans and how we treat our cities. The comment that has always stuck in my mind is that Americans see cities as much more disposable. Given that we are a much more mobile society in so many senses, we are more inclined to move on to the new thing. Obviously, this isn't always a good thing. Those who created the waterfall are long gone and their successors moved on to 'better' parts of the city. Well, now we've all moved to this once abandoned downtown. Now that we are here, we'd like to see things returned to something of their former glory.

We abandon our monuments, and in doing so we have forgotten our brave veterans to whom we owe so much gratitude. We must never forget the sacrifices of those who really believed in making a difference in this world.

Um,

the monument in question is something of an embarassment. The episode was not nearly so glorious or noble as the text suggests. The last 20 or so years has seen a shift to a more balanced view of history away from jingoistic and self-deluding stories told to cover bad behavior of our predecessors.

This might be at least partly behind the neglect of the fountain. Perhaps a corrective didactic display could be added to blunt the sting.

I'm sorry, but I'm completely unfamiliar with the history behind the monument. Or any controversy about its existence or meaning. A brief summation would be helpful.

I was just looking at it from an aesthetic standpoint. Waterfall in downtown? Sounds great! If the price of admission is a corrective didactic display, I'm all for that, too. Give me my waterfall!

I'm sorry, too, David. My library is still packed up from my move 6 months ago or I would have given more detail. My memory is so affected by my leisure activities I didn't wan't to get it garbled so I left it for others to fill in.

I caused a very long and bitter discussion on New Downtown a few years ago with a similar comment where I was disrespectful of Mormons. The fountain commemorates a batallion of Mormons who came down from Utah to support US troops in the occupation of California. They made a heroic and difficult trip but did not contribute significantly beyond acting as local police for a while and occupied the short lived Fort Moore which was on the hill above the fountain. Accounts I have read say the fort was little more than a circular ditch with an encampment within.

The story of the US taking of California is more comic than epic. (in my opinion) but the fountain makes it sound as if the Mormons risked life and limb on the hill to secure our precious soil. I am sure the Californios would tell a different version of the story since the actual capture of the land happened over a few generations following the turn-over using the tax laws and cultural differences.

I don't have an axe to grind here. I just prefer the full truth to fairy tales. Even my somewhat cloudy version . . .

The Mormon Battalion traveled from Iowa to San Diego and then Los Angeles in 1846. They were a group of non soldiers dispatched at the request of our federal government. They traveled across the deserts of the southwest and staggered into San Diego a starving group. There is an excellent account of their historic march by a man with the last name of Tyler. By the time they arrived in California, the Mexican War had ended. They finished out their military commitment by serving as a well regarded military presence in California. (They were decent family men, a far cry from the typical rough frontier element in California at the time.) They then returned to the Iowa and Nebraska to find their families and then travel back across the plains to Utah. What makes these men remarkable is that they were patriots when called upon by their government. Never mind that this same government had allowed anti-mormon groups to burn their homes and farms in the preceding years; as a result, this Mormon Battalion left their families behind in near destitute conditions. Their faith in God prevailed and they went West requesting that their soldier's pay and uniform allotments be sent to Brigham Young to help pay for the great Mormon Migration west.

Being a downtown resident, I would also love to see this fountain running again...Does anyone know who is in charge of maintaining the Fort Moore Memorial (and fountain)??...what can be done to raise the funds needed?...If someone knows a person or agency to contact...I will volunteer my effort!

Military history of Fort Moore: http://www.militarymuseum.org/FtMoore.html

Also, please note that Downtown was "abandoned" by some people, but others continued to live there or moved in, mostly immigrants. To say that it was "abandoned" is a subtle insult to the existence of those people and their children.

Maybe this monument should be revised to celebrate the "return" of middle class and wealthy people to the downtown from the suburban hinterlands.

"To the brave men and women who with trust in the Real Estate Market faced race and class integration and burglary in extending the frontiers of our lifestyle to include this urban center of promise."