"I think touch is so important," the sculptor said.

And so she worked tirelessly on the wall, with its six miners on one side, the three rescuers killed Aug. 16 on the other side and in between the story of what happened. Funding for the project, estimated to have cost over $150,000, has come from Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and his family, including Jon Huntsman Sr.

The wall will be placed on a manicured plot of ground near a cemetery in Huntington, just off the road that leads up to the turnoff for the mine. Scouts have helped with landscaping. A dedication ceremony is planned for next month.

After that, family, friends and loved ones of those lost will be able to touch, in great detail, the bronze likenesses of those nine men.

"It's been the best and hardest and most exciting and terrible experience," Templeton said about the ups and downs of completing the sculpture. "It's been soul gripping."

In the end, the experience was something she felt like she was meant to do. And in a strange way, one of the best compliments came when, after trying again and again to get it right, one of Allred's children finally told her, "Now I wish it didn't look so much like Dad."

---

E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com