By John Mitchell Redd, 12th grade
Published in Heritage and Horizon in San Juan @1975Painting by Kelly Pugh
A pale sandstone column
Rising from a cobblestone knoll
Overshadowing the San Juan river
Is the resting place for a giant of a man
"Kagooche".
From the little island of Laaland
In the tiny Kingdom of Denmark,
His religion took him across
Vast oceans, and three-fourths of this continent.
Pushing an pulling a primitive handcart
Across the Great Plains and
Over the Rocky Mountains in biting bitter cold
In his pilgrimage to Utah
The trek maimed him for life;
Froze his hands and feet.
He carried his right foot at
A right angle to his left for 50 years,
As a reminder of his sacrifice
For Zion.
At age 59, when most men settle
In the comfort of wealth that they've gathered,
He left his home to colonize
The desolate Navajo country
Of the San Juan --
His sixth move;
His sixth home in Utah,
All in response to calls from God.
Courage, faith, and wisdom
All describe this man.
But his own Anglo-Danish motto
Describes him best:
"Stickity-to-itity"
Hole-in-the-Rocker,
Bishop of Bluff.
A life dedicated to others--
A noble example--
A great heritage for San Juan.
--Jens Nielson.--
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