Greetings, Beacon nation! Having moved to the Flathead Valley from Missoula 15 years ago, the social media phenomenon promoting #vanlife and vagabondary never captured my attention. It’s not that that my new home lulled me into complacency (it did), or that I rejected the telegenic lifestyle brand’s insistence to #livesimply (I do); rather, I’d discovered the ideal environment for deep immersion. If home is where you park it, then I’d rather not give up my spot in paradise. But my reason for staying isn’t rooted in a fear of the unfamiliar, it’s born of a fascination with the mysteries lurking in plain sight. To that end, my job as a community journalist has been a perfect antidote to the wanderlust-infused social media musings instructing me to “never stop exploring,” which seems silly given that I’ve hardly sleuthed beyond the surface of what lies right beneath my feet. As I’ve grown older, the value of staying put has appreciated, while the expanding dimensions of what I don’t know about this place continue to beguile me, which augurs well for job security.

Yesterday, I quietly observed my 12^th anniversary at the Flathead Beacon, and this year marks my 20^th as a full-time journalist in Montana. But if I’m proud of this milestone, it’s only because of what it reveals about all that I have left to discover in my own backyard, and the trove of untold stories I have the privilege of sharing here.

I’m Tristan Scott, and while I may have milestones on my mind, it’s the case of the missing monument that I needed help cracking today.

If you’ve driven U.S. Highway 2 over the Continental Divide, you’ve probably stopped at Marias Pass Memorial Square and gazed up at the 60-foot-tall obelisk on your way to the restroom (pictured below). But you might have overlooked the bronze statue of John F. Stevens, the famed Great Northern Railway engineer man who first charted a path over the pass in the 1890s, and who attended his own monument’s dedication in 1925.

Imagine my surprise when this note from a reader landed in my inbox: “What happened to the statue of John Stevens at Marias Pass? Who took it and what is happening to it?”

Located 75 miles from Beacon HQ in downtown Kalispell, I didn’t have time to pop over to the pass to confirm the statue’s disappearance myself. So, I called the Forest Service. According to Reid Stovall, an engineer with the Rocky Mountain Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, the bronze statue was recently removed from its sandstone base so that a technician can repair bullet holes, cracks and dents. “The contractor will be responsible for off-site storage of the statue during the repair process and must ensure that all repairs blend seamlessly with the statue’s existing patina,” according to a statue repair statement, which is an amendment to the broader Roosevelt Obelisk Repair Project.

That’s right, the obelisk is coming down, too — at least for the summer.

As the centerpiece of the repair project, the granite obelisk needs to be repointed by a mason, who will also patch cracks in the granite block façade and reset the monument’s stone base. Modeled after the Washington Monument, the obelisk stands 60 feet tall and was built in 1931 to memorialize both the former president and the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Forest Service.

According to Stovall, the contractor is performing the restoration work in two phases, with both projects slated for completion this fall.

“Both the obelisk and the bronze statue are historic pieces that we want to preserve, and this restoration will ensure that their structural integrity is preserved for decades to come,” Stovall said.

With that case closed, let’s move on to today’s top stories and this Wednesday edition of the Daily Roundup.

Sugar: At 8 years old, this domestic black-and-white shorthair mix is just coming into her prime. She’s spayed and ready to adopt, so don’t delay!

To find out more about Sugar and other pet adoption opportunities at the Humane Society of Northwest Montana go to: www.humanesocietypets.com. To donate to the Humane Society of Northwest Montana, visit the organization’s donation page here. You can also support the Humane Society of Northwest Montana by attending the Summer Shindig and Fundraiser on June 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located at 100 Adopt A Pet Way in Kalispell, the event will feature a silent auction, food trucks, contests, raffle prizes, and more.