After eight years of work, supporters of the Founders Park Plaza: A Walk through Rapid City History on Sunday marked the beginning of the park's new installation. Receiving a grant from the Deadwood Historical Society, organizers are set to begin the $200,000 project this fall.

Spokeswoman Ann Haber Stanton said Sunday's event was a celebration of the beginning of construction. About 70 guests gathered at Heron's Flight Studio to look at the plans for the new installation that will be placed next to Rapid Creek near the Rapid Trout sculpture.

"It's been an exercise in persistence and patience," Stanton said.

Stanton said the project had garnered $100,000 in 2012 funds, a $25,000 grant from the Historical Society and enough private funding to take the project nearly to the midway point.

"We need another $50,000. We're going to continue to fundraise," she said.

To support the effort, community members may purchase a virtual brick, which will be etched into a poured concrete surface at the park.

"We want this to belong to the people and community," she said.

Jerry Brown, Founders Park Plaza Committee member, said the combination history and art structure will use a special concrete that will be poured in one piece and not crack.

"We're going to start sometime in the next three weeks," Brown said.

Warren Fisk designed the installation. Jim Scull Construction Services will pour the concrete. Tim Hamilton of Sand Scripts, Inc. will do the etching, Brown said.

He said the plaza shows the south half of the original town of Hay Town, which later evolved into Rapid City. When founded, surveying was done with compasses so the town is laid out using magnetic north.

"The rest of the town was laid out using true north. If you ever drive through town, you notice there's a kink in it," Brown said.

Entering through an arch, there will be six interpretive signs before coming to the surface that will have red stained 5-foot-by-5-foot squares representing the city blocks 61 through 130. "The streets will be adobe buff and are 2-feet wide while East and West boulevards are 3-feet wide," Brown said.

Fisk noted that the city block 1-60 would not be represented because of its location to Rapid Creek.

"They're not part of the project. The first 60 blocks were across the creek, where they kept the livestock and horses," he said.

Make a donation

To contribute to Founders Park Plaza: A Walk through Rapid City History, brochures for the virtual bricks can be found at Copy Country, 1026 West Main in Rapid City.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com