PHOTOS: It started with an old black and white photograph from the Grand Junction Fire Department archives.
Next came about a half a ton of sheet metal.
Then it was time for Jeff Bates to go to work.
That was about three months ago.
On Tuesday, tucked under a weathered white cowboy hat, Bates and a pair of helpers installed the finished sculpture on the cinderblock wall of Grand Junction Fire Station No. 6 at 729 27 Road.
“It’s a real feather in my cap to have this featured on a fire station,” Bates said Tuesday. “It was a great opportunity.
“It really represents the community as well and this is historically accurate, it’s based on a historic photograph from the Grand Junction Fire Department.” The intricate metal work shows two horses pulling a fire wagon with a pair of old-time firefighters.