Fireman & Dog - Yreka, CA
N 41° 43.927 W 122° 38.310
10T E 530063 N 4620096
This metal sculpture (and historic bell) reside at the corner of W Miner and S Oregon Streets in front of the Yreka Fire Department (Ley Station) in the historic district of Yreka, CA.
Waymark Code: WMH8FY
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 06/06/2013
Views: 6
Located in front of the Yreka Fire Department (Ley Station) is a metal sculpture of a fireman and his dog ringing a bell by artist
Ralph Starritt. The sculpture is one of many by this artist and is located in the historic downtown district of Yreka. I am assuming the bell that this fireman is ringing once existed at either an earlier fire station at this site or was located at a different fire station location. I'll try to investigate the history behind this bell and if/when I obtain some facts I'll upload them here. As for the dog, I can only assume it's a dalmatian (the traditional fireman's choice of pet)!
There is a web link that highlights artist Ralph Starritt and mentions this sculpture and reads:
Ralph was born and educated in California. He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Shasta Community College in Redding CA. and went on to study at the Academy of arts in San Francisco where he focused on illustration, design, sculpture, cartooning and photography. He studied mechanics at the Oregon Institute of Technology where he learned to weld and use many metals. It turned out to be a turning point when the Jaycees of Yreka commissioned him to create The Miner, in downtown Yreka, CA from scrap metal. This brought new recognition to Ralphs art.
I have waymarked other Ralph Starritt sculptures, one of Peter Britt, a well-known pioneer of Jacksonville, OR and which resides in front of the BrittFest outdoor venue and another of a patriotic Eagle in Flight within Veterans Park in downtown Dorris. Starritt's work has become a fixture in towns and cities across Southern Oregon and Northern California. He has definitely mastered the art of welded steel and his works fit in well with the terrain and environments they are placed in, i.e., the 'rustic' nature of many of the communities of the Pacific Northwest. The Fireman & Dog is a another good example of his style of artwork and fits into Yreka's rich heritage well.