| What makes it historical? |
The monument itself is in a picturesque spot, overlooking Kachemak Bay with its sharp mountains in the background, but it’s also beautiful in what it represents! It stands for the uncertainty felt by every fisherman’s family who watches their loved one sail away, either to return with riches or not at all! It commemorates the loss of all local fishermen since 1934 and has space to expand, though I hope it’s a very slow expansion!
On the seaward side of the memorial stands a plaque with a poem written by Ryan Bundy in 1996:
“The sea tells a story. It tells of the life it brings and the lives it claims. Its deep dark waters are home to some, a final resting place to others. The sea tells a story. It tells of the cycle of life running through its waters. Fish spawning, dying, sinking to the ocean floor, returning to the circle that engulfs all life. The sea tells a story. It tells of prosperity, yet how the prosperity can be unforgiving. Nearly everyone will experience its vastness, but some will remain there forever.” |
