Rosedale Arch

Designed by John LeRoy Marshall, a Rosedalian, the Rosedale Memorial Arch was built between 1923-1924 to honor the 42nd Division of the United States Infantry that served in WWI, popularly known as the “Rainbow Division”. They were assigned to the Ammunition Train, and 6 of the 12 ammunition trucks that served in the Rainbow Division were made up of Rosedale, KS recruits.

After the end of WWI, Rosedale welcomed home their returning veterans with a parade down the newly dedicated Rainbow Boulevard, in honor of the 42nd Division, decorating the streets with rainbow colors. But the community wanted to do more to honor the servicemen, and a special bond election was held in June of 1921 to approve $25,000 to be used to create a memorial. The vote passed with a large majority, and two years later a special groundbreaking ceremony was held to begin work on the Rosedale Memorial Arch.

The project was finished by summer of 1924, and in September of that year, a grand unveiling ceremony was held, honoring all veterans from WWI. Over the years, many renovation and conservation efforts have been made, most notably: the addition of spotlights and gravel road access in 1962, a sand-blasting cleaning of the arch, added landscaping, and flood light additions in 1968, and a concrete road access, walkways, and benches added in 1972-1974.