Recently, after a successful bid for the summit of Mt. Adams, I visited a full sized replication of Stone Henge in one of the most out of the way locations you could think of, across the Columbia River from the tiny town of Biggs, Oregon. This Stone Henge is oriented exactly as the original in England, toward the Autumnal and Vernal equinoxes, there is even a key stone.
It is believed the ancient Druids offered human sacrifices upon the alter at the center of the monument, probably as a way to appease whichever gods they worshiped. The new Stone Henge is dedicated to the greatest sacrifice of human life up to that point in history, WWI. The man with the money, Sam Hill, built the monument and placed plaques on the inner ring of columns with the names of those from Klickitat County, Washington, who gave their lives on the battlefields of Europe. Sam Hill also gave large sums of money to the country of Rumania to help it rebuild after the destruction of the War to end all wars. He gave so much that that he became close friends of the queen of Rumania, Queen Marie. They were such good friends that she donated some of her personal things to the museum in his mansion, including the dress she wore to the coronation of her cousin Tsar Nicolas II of Russia. Stone Henge in Washington is a great place to visit and admire and also to remember the sacrifices men made for others.
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