Immediately east of the library is Lindley Park, while to the rear is Gallagator Linear Trail. Several sculptures are arrayed along Gallagator Linear Trail and on the western edge of Lindley Park. This is one of the sculptures along Gallagator Linear Trail.
Created in the fertile imagination of sculptor
Gary Bates, the Wind Totem is just one of possibly dozens of kinetic sculptures created by him, beginning as a teenager. A local boy, Bates grew up on a farm in nearby Amsterdam, MT. Bates has become quite well known for his wind operated kinetic sculpture. His works may be seen at several venues in the area, most recently the Bozeman campus of the University of Montana.
Created of steel and stainless steel, the totem is a 108” tall x 6” wide steel shaft or pole, with 16 stainless steel tori mounted in the centre, each about 6" above the next. When wind catches the tori they whirl and create a soft whistle. There was no wind then we visited so we blew on one torus to see the effect. The whistle created was quite soft, but with a wind blowing on all 16 tori, I imagine the sound created would be audible at quite a distance.