A year to the date of the dedication of the rebuilt Kanesville Tabernacle by President Gordon B. Hinckley, another dedication on the grounds of the tabernacle was held here July 12 - of two bronze monuments.
The two monuments were dedicated by Iowa Lt. Gov. Joy Corning.Bill Hill is the sculptor for the striking bronze monument of a pioneer mother, father and daughter standing in outdoor prayer. Two copies of his work, titled "Family: an Everlasting Heritage" were dedicated in two separate states on the same day. The other monument was dedicated by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve in Mendon, Utah. (Please see accompanying article for coverage of dedication in Mendon.)
The second sculpture dedicated in Kanesville was a life-size monument titled "Henry W. Miller: Pioneer Entrepreneur." Bob Keiser, a retired U.S. Secret Service agent, is the sculptor. Henry Miller in 1846 founded what was then called Miller's Hollow. The Latter-day Saints later named it Kanesville in honor of their friend and benefactor, Thomas L. Kane. Today, it is part of Council Bluffs.
Henry Miller directed the building of the Kanesville Tabernacle, where Brigham Young was sustained by the pioneer members as president of the Church in December 1847.
Lt. Gov. Corning officially dedicated the "Exodus Edition" of the Hill sculpture "to this historic site in our great state and our enduring nation, to the people of this community, their children and their children's children, and to all the visitors who come here to appreciate and to learn."
She added, "as lieutenant governor of the state of Iowa I wish to state great pride in the significance of this monument - the choice of using a family to portray the real basic strengths on which all of us build.
Regarding the Keiser piece, she said, "I officially dedicate this monument of Henry Miller and, symbolically, his brother, to this historic site, to this beautiful state and country. May Henry and Daniel Miller continue to inspire Iowans and visitors with their entrepreneurial spirit, their work ethic and their courage."
Bradley Carter, a fifth-generation nephew of Henry W. Miller, was at the dedication to represent the Miller Family Organization, which today represents more than 1,800 living descendants. More than 200 of those individuals and families contributed 90 percent of the funds needed to pay for the statue. In his comments, he remarked that "surely the miracles that have taken place over the last two years (fund raising) are a result of the spirit of Elijah. . . . Henry's statue erected just outside the tabernacle is to honor and recognize him for his contributions and sacrifices, his work and dedication, his commitment to family, to God, to his faith and his fellowmen."
At the conclusion of his remarks, he presented to Monte Nelson, president of Kanesville Restoration Inc., a shotgun that belonged to Henry Miller, donated to Kanesville by Rosalind Miller Cannon Ingludue and her son Albert William Cannon. She is a great-granddaughter of Henry and resides in St. George, Utah.
The Kanesville Tabernacle Choir closed the dedication by singing "Come, Come, Ye Saints," which was first sung publicly by the Church in 1847 in the newly built tabernacle.
