Gone Fishin'

Gone Fishin'. . , As the lead organization for the Eisenhower sculpture, the Fraser Valley Lions Club and sculptor Howard Neville are proud to tell you the story of the Western White House. , Known as Ike, Dwight Eisenhower is one of America’s best-loved military leaders and presidents. He was born in Denison, Texas, and grew up in Abilene, Kansas. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1915 and married Mamie Doud of Denver in 1916. Mamie’s family introduced him to their friend Aksel Nielsen. In the early 1940’s Nielsen and his partner, Carl Norgren, bought the Byers Peak Ranch, a former young people’s camp in the Fraser Valley. , After serving as Supreme Commander of the European forces during World War II as a Five Star General, Ike later ran for and became the 34th President of the United States. It was during the 1952 campaign that Ike made his first visit to the Byers Peak Ranch. He returned each year until his heart attack in 1955. While Mamie was never able to come to the Fraser Valley because of a heart condition, her mother sometimes accompanied Ike on his visits. , Ike was a very welcome visitor throughout the Fraser Valley. Numerous people would greet his arrival in town and residents were proud that he chose to vacation here. However, they were conscientious in protecting his privacy. , He was known as a pleasant, very reachable person. John Work, the ranch foreman at the time of the President’s visits said, “I spent some time one afternoon with Ike while he was painting, and I found him to be as relaxed and easy to talk to as any of my friends in the Fraser Valley.” , Ike’s passions in his free time here were fly fishing, painting, and cooking flapjacks, trout, and steaks. The fishing occupied most of this time and his favorite streams were St. Louis Creek and the Fraser River. Both streams are headwater tributaries to the Colorado River. Ike usually brought friends, such as Gen. Lucius Clay and political associates, such as Presidents Hoover and Nixon. , Still it wasn’t all recreation for Ike. While in the Valley, Ike was obligated to carry on the duties of his office, which is how the Fraser Valley became known as the Western White House. Bills signed here include a Social Security Reform Bill, a Farm Bill, a bill outlawing the Communist party in the United States, and a bill that opened several nuclear power plants. , As President, he was surrounded constantly by Secret Service personnel. Off-duty Secret Service men stayed at local lodges and motels. The Eisenhower Museum in Abilene, Kansas, tells of the President’s life and career in detail. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆. The Fraser River you see today is not the same river that attracted Ike in the 1950’s. As Colorado’s Front Range communities grow, more of this river is diverted to accommodate growth. We must find a balance between the needs of Colorado’s growth and the needs of Colorado’s natural environment… which attracted Ike then and millions of visitors each year today.