Repairs Made To Will Rogers Statue In Oologah

The statue was dedicated on August 12th of 1995, on that day there was a brass band and celebrities including Academy Award-winning actor and Oklahoma cowboy, Ben Johnson.

Tuesday, December 18th 2018, 5:30 pm

By: News On 6

Repairs Made To Will Rogers Statue In Oologah

Richard Hamilton is back in Oologah to do a little repair work on the brick pedestal he built for Cherokee Kid statue here 23 years ago.

The statue was dedicated on August 12th of 1995, on that day there was a brass band and celebrities including Academy Award-winning actor and Oklahoma cowboy, Ben Johnson.

Over the years the weather has taken its toll on the brickwork. Water gets into the cracks in the mortar and when it freezes it expands and cracks it even more.

So, Hamilton's got to get all that cracked mortar out, replace it and then re-seal it. His primary tool is an air hammer with a chisel attached. In the old days he says, he’d use a hammer and a chisel.

"If you hit it too hard, you break the brick, then you gotta take 'em all out," said Hamilton.

He says if the weather cooperates, the foundation should be as good as new in a couple of weeks.

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