Workers stand next to the Father Brown’s Cross after they reinstalled it at an overlook site on Mount Roberts on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Hugo Miramontes)

Workers stand next to the Father Brown’s Cross after they reinstalled it at an overlook site on Mount Roberts on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Hugo Miramontes)

Father Brown’s Cross is resurrected on Mount Roberts after winter collapse

Five workers put landmark back into place; possibility of new cross next year being discussed.

The Father Brown’s Cross is standing again on Mount Roberts after five construction workers spent Wednesday morning digging a new hole to secure the 16-foot-high landmark after it collapsed during the winter.

“We’ve been talking about just getting some people and putting up the cross, and today was just a good day for them,” said Hugo Miramontes, owner of Miramontes Construction. “So some of my guys and I went up there early this morning, and dug a hole, and put it back in place.”

Workers lift the Father Brown’s Cross into a newly dug hole on Mount Roberts on Wednesday morning. (Photo courtesy of Hugo Miramontes)

Workers lift the Father Brown’s Cross into a newly dug hole on Mount Roberts on Wednesday morning. (Photo courtesy of Hugo Miramontes)

The cross erected as a tribute to Father Edward Brown, who led a group of volunteers in a two-year project that began in 1906 establishing a trail to the peak of the mountain, is a decades-old replacement (and possibly among more than one) for the original cross erected on a date that is elusive to historians. It collapsed early this year after being assailed by heavy snow and winds.

[Crossed off: Famous Mount Roberts cross lies flat]

Miramontes said he went to the ridge where the cross has long stood, about halfway up the mountain above the Goldbelt Tram, three days ago to evaluate the site and the condition of the cross that has been at the location since it fell. He estimates about a 30-inch section broke off at the base when it fell, but a three-foot-deep hole was sufficient to secure the cross back in place — which took some heavy lifting by his employees.

“It took five of us to stand it up,” he said. “It’s a good 500 pounds, I would say.”

The workers headed to the site shortly after 7 a.m. — aided by a free lift aboard the Goldbelt Tram — and finished resurrecting the cross by about 10 a.m., Miramontes said.

The Father Brown’s Cross shortly before workers on Wednesday place it back in the ground on Mount Roberts where the cross has stood for decades. (Photo courtesy of Hugo Miramontes)

The Father Brown’s Cross shortly before workers on Wednesday place it back in the ground on Mount Roberts where the cross has stood for decades. (Photo courtesy of Hugo Miramontes)

He said he moved to Juneau in 1997 and the cross is one of the first notable landmarks he saw.

“When I came here to Juneau one of the first places that I visited was Mount Roberts,” he said. “I went up the tram with some family and I’m pretty sure that I got some pictures of standing right next to the cross.”

Miramontes said he didn’t know the cross had collapsed until he saw a social media post about it some weeks ago. One possibility raised during the process of putting the cross back in place is installing a new one that can weather many future years in a far more secure base of concrete.

“By building a bigger one we’re hoping that we can go a little deeper and maybe stronger,” he said. “So there’s already some talks about hopefully putting something together for next spring and then bringing up a new cross made of similar material or the same stuff.”

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Nov. 3

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 7, 2024. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
After controversial correspondence school decision, Anchorage judge faces voters in election

Adolf Zeman is one of 19 judges on Alaska’s ballots, but he’s the only one with a campaign against him.

The outcome of the struggle for control of both the House and Senate will have sweeping implications for the country’s future. Shown is the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2024. (Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
Will control of Congress shift? The results hinge on a handful of states and races

Narrow Republican Senate majority would allow Murkowski to wield outsized influence, expert says.

A sign on Egan Drive reminds motorists at midday Friday a lower seasonal speed limit is in effect in an attempt to reduce collisions at the Fred Meyer intersection. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Reduced 45 mph speed limit goes into effect on Egan Drive in vicinity of Fred Meyer intersection

Change in effect until Jan. 31 intended to improve safety; JPD reports normal number of traffic stops.

People voting ahead of Election Day line up inside the Mendenhall Mall annex on Friday, Oct. 25. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Juneau an afterthought for candidates ahead of Tuesday’s election, but early voting at a record pace

Toss-up U.S. House race, minimum wage increase, repeal of ranked choice voting on ballot.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo
Tesla Cox (left) explains the damage done to her home and possessions by record flooding Aug. 6 to a delegation of municipal, tribal and federal officials on Aug. 11. The City and Borough of Juneau is considering a memorandum of agreement with the Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska for public safety issues such as emergency response, plus a similar agreement involving solid waste operations.
City leaders, Tlingit and Haida considering operational pacts for public safety, solid waste

Assembly members Monday will also discuss flood barriers, short-term rentals, homeless.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Tongass National Forest near Sitka on Oct. 10, 2024. The remains of a hunter who the authorities believe was fatally mauled by a bear were recovered on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, from a remote region in Alaska where such attacks are rare. (Christopher Miller/The New York Times)
Deer hunter is killed in apparent bear attack near Sitka, authorities say

The remains of a hunter who authorities believe was fatally mauled by… Continue reading

Most Read