Woman memorialized in Temple Square statue recalls father's story

Woman memorialized in Temple Square statue recalls father's story

(Courtesy of Knaphus family)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Standing on Temple Square for the last several decades is a large bronze statue of a man and a woman pulling two children in a handcart.

The young girl inside the handcart sculpted by Torleif S. Knaphus was just two years old at the time of its creation, but now, Marie James is a 92-year-old resident at The Coventry.

James is one of Knaphus' last surviving children.

"He chose me to do that because I was so available," James said.

Though she doesn't remember the experience, she said it brings tears to her eyes to see any of his artwork.

"He was such a fun father, such a good man, through and through that when I see it, I think, 'that's only half of my father.' The other half was human," James said. "Love and kindness and everything that is right for people to be."

According to James' son, John Gerritsen, the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers asked Knaphus to build the "Handcart Monument," which was finished in 1926.

He later made a copy twice the size for the 1947 centennial of the pioneers upon the request of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The original statue can be seen in The Church History museum, and a copy of it can be seen at the Marriott Hotel at 75 West Temple in Salt Lake City, Gerritsen said.

"He was such a wonderful father, kind and fun and all of that, but as an artist, he was skilled and anchored and very precise," James said.

The young girl featured in "Handcart Monument" sculpted by Torleif S. Knaphus was just two years old at the time of its creation, but now, Marie James is a 92-year-old resident at The Coventry. (Photo: Courtesy of Knaphus family)
The young girl featured in "Handcart Monument" sculpted by Torleif S. Knaphus was just two years old at the time of its creation, but now, Marie James is a 92-year-old resident at The Coventry. (Photo: Courtesy of Knaphus family)

Knaphus also did work for LDS temples, including Mesa, Arizona, Cardston, Canada, Oakland, California, Laie, Hawaii and more.

The artist constructed the Hill Cumorah Monument and several busts of LDS Church presidents, including Brigham Young, Joseph Fielding Smith, Heber J. Grant, David O. Mckay and Joseph F. Smith.

James said her father became converted to the gospel and felt very endeared to its truth.

Knaphus was an honest man, James said, and he never locked a door. James used to wonder if somebody would come steal his work, but her father would say, "If they need it, they may have it."

Knaphus died in the summer of 1965. James said she hopes when others see his work, they will feel that he was inspired to do it because he had an urgency to do it.

"It was something that he wanted to do as well as was assigned to do," she said.

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Megan Marsden Christensen

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