These walls were constructed between the early 1920s and the mid 1960s, many of them make-work projects, a legacy of the
Dirty Thirties. They show varying methods and styles of construction which changed with the times. Some were dry laid, without mortar, while most were set in mortar. The walls employing larger rocks indicate their construction in later periods, when more and larger equipment became available to the stone masons.
The city has recently placed ten bronze plaques at strategic points throughout the city which indicate the date of construction of particular walls and the names of the stone masons who laid them. This is a wonderful way to commemorate these stone masons from yesteryear and the legacy they have left behind for future generations.
This wall holds back the foot of Mount Heinze, named after the man who built the first smelter in Trail, ultimately creating the industry and the city that is here today. It keeps the mountain out of the parking lot for Gyro Park, Trail's largest and most popular park, which runs along the Columbia River in East Trail. This dry laid wall is made of mostly very large rocks, betraying its construction date as being relatively late.
This plaque is mounted on the south facing wall at the rear of the parking lot, toward the north end. It tells us that the wall was constructed in 1961. The stonemasons involved were: Frank Balkovec, Antonio Iachetta, Luigi Bedin, Camillo Capelletto and Carlo Di Domenico.
![]()