The Codger Pole
Colfax, Whitman County, Washington. Chainsaw artwork.
Details
- Where
- 398 South Main Street, Colfax, WA 99111. Directions
- Getting there
- Schmuck Park in the North End of Colfax.
- Access
- Schmuck Park is one of the most popular public parks in town and has a skate park and a swimming pool.
- Phone
- (509) 397-3861
- Website
- colfaxwa.org
- Managed by
- City of Colfax.
- Established
- 1991.
Artist John LaBenne used a chainsaw to carve the faces of all 51 players into five 65-foot tall cedar poles.
Notable Events
- 1938Cross-county archrivals the Colfax Bulldogs and the St. John Eagles met in a bitterly contested football matchup; St. John won 14 - 0. spokanehistorical.org
- 1988Fifty years later the fifty-one players from both teams played a touch-football rematch at Colfax High; Colfax won 6 - 0, and the game became known as the "Codger Bowl.". spokanehistorical.org
- 2015The aged and weathered Codger Pole underwent a $10,000 renovation paid for by the city, with a proposal for another $10,000 to finish renovations in 2016. spokesman.com
- Community members celebrated the renovation of a mural at the historic Codger Pole, restored by local artist Kelly Barnett. wcgazette.com
People
- John LaBenne, artist who carved the Codger Pole with a chainsaw (1991).
- Joe Henderson, played on the Colfax team.
- John Crawford, Colfax player who became an actor (Sheriff Ep Bridges in The Waltons) and wanted a rematch after dropping a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in the first game (died in 2010).
- Kelly Barnett, local artist who spent several months renovating the mural.