Near Goldendale in Klickitat County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Stonehenge

Photographed by Duane Hall, August 31, 2008

1. Stonehenge Marker

Inscription.
The structure before you is the first monument in our nation to military personnel who gave their lives in World War I. Memorializing 13 young Klickitat County men, it also serves as lasting reminder of the works of Samuel Hill, patron of this region. He established a townsite here, with postoffice, hotel, general store, nearly 10 miles of experimental paved roads, and the Maryhill Museum three miles to the west—all on his own land. His tomb is 50 yards distant, on the opposite side of this monument.

The design duplicates in size and original form England's famous Stonehenge (dated 1900-1350 B.C.) on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. When Hill, a Quaker pacifist, visited England during the 1914-18 conflict, saw Stonehenge and was told it had been used for human sacrifices to pagan gods he remarked: "After all our civilization, the flower of humanity is still being sacrificed to the god of war on fields of battle." From that inspiration came this monument, built by Hill. On July 4, 1918 the altar stone was dedicated. The full structure was completed and dedicated May 30, 1929.

Today the sacrifice legend is generally

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discredited. Current belief is that Stonehenge was a device used by stone-age astronomers to measure time and mark seasons of the year by observing positions of the sun and moon. The diagram at left suggests how the original may have been used by its ingenious builders.

Inlaid on top of the altar in the center of the Stonehenge memorial is a bronze plaque that reads:

In memory of the soldiers and sailors of Klickitat County who gave their lives in defense of their country. This monument is erected in the hope that others inspired by the example of their valor and their heroism may share in that love of liberty and burn with that fire of patriotism which death alone can quench.

[There are also 13 bronze plaques containing the names of the 13 men who perished in the Great War and mounted on the inner columns of the memorial. The names read:]
James Henry Allyn - Born April 12, 1897 - Died July 15, 1918 • Charles Auer - Born July 17, 1894 - Died June 6, 1918 • Dewey V. Bromley - Born July 15, 1898 - Died April 13, 1918 • John W. Cheshier - Born June 13, 1890 - Died Feby 5, 1918 • Evan Childs - Born July 14, 1893 - Died

Stonehenge Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane Hall, August 31, 2008

2. Stonehenge Monument

Marker is located next to the monument

Sept. 30, 1918 • William O. Clary - Born Oct. 10, 1884 - Died Jan. 4, 1919 • James D. Duncan - Born July 15, 1897 - Died June 16, 1917 • Henry Gotfredson - Born May 6, 1894 - Died July 30, 1918 • Louis Leidl - Born March 5, 1894 - Died Oct. 14, 1918 • Carl A. Lester - Born Oct. 6, 1888 - Died March 15, 1918 • Edward Lindblad - Born March 25, 1899 - Died Sept. 15, 1918 • Henry O. Piendl - Born Sep 18, 1893 - Died July 30, 1918 • Robert F. Venable - Born Sept. 27, 1898 - Died May 21, 1917

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • War, World I. A significant historical date for this entry is May 30, 1929.

Location. 45° 41.672′ N, 120° 48.357′ W. Memorial is near Goldendale, Washington, in Klickitat County. It can be reached from Stonehenge Drive ¾ mile south of Lewis and Clark Highway (Washington Route 14), on the right when traveling south. The monument is visible from Stonehenge Drive. Marker is located next to the monument. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Goldendale WA 98620, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Washington’s

Distant View of Stonehenge Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane Hall, August 30, 2010

3. Distant View of Stonehenge Monument

As viewed from the Sam Hill Country marker

Columbia River Gorge,

in the Columbia Basin and in Yakima Valley.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sam Hill Country (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Sight of the Columbia River (approx. 2.7 miles away in Oregon); Deschutes River Crossing Oregon Trail Kiosk (approx. 6.6 miles away in Oregon); Deschutes River Crossing (approx. 6.6 miles away in Oregon); View of Mount Jefferson (approx. 7.6 miles away); Celilo Falls (approx. 7.6 miles away); Wyam (approx. 7.6 miles away); Great Falls of the Columbia (approx. 7.6 miles away).

Also see . . . Roadside America - Sam Hill's Stonehenge. (Submitted on April 15, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.)

Inside View of Stonehenge Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane Hall, August 31, 2008

4. Inside View of Stonehenge Monument

Stonehenge World War I memorial plaque monumented on the altar and dedicated on July 4, 1918 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, November 26, 2021

5. Stonehenge World War I memorial plaque monumented on the altar and dedicated on July 4, 1918

Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,006 times since then and 51 times this year. Last updated on September 15, 2024, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 15, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. 3. submitted on January 14, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. 4. submitted on April 15, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. 5. submitted on September 15, 2024, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.