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This large sign standing near the the Ames monument in Sherman, Wyoming, explains the importance of Oakes (1804-1873) and Oliver (1807-1877) Ames to the construction of first coast-to-coast railroad in North America. In 1882, the Union Pacific Railroad dedicated the monument which had been designed by the distinguished architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886). The bas-relief medallions of the two brothers affixed to the monument were the works of the American sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. This sign says, in part, "The contribution made by Oakes was especially significant, even though in 1873 he was implicated in a scandal relative to financing the construction of the railroad. The Ames brothers were hardware manufacturers from Massachusetts. Oakes Ames was a Republican congressman and was a good friend of railroad mogul John I. Blair, who platted the town of Ames, Iowa, and named it after his friend Oakes. Originally, the monument was located right next to the Union Pacific route, but the tracks were relocated about two miles south of the monument.