‘Dixie Express’ train sculpture makes journey to its forever home in Enterprise

Written by Jeff Richards
April 21, 2024

ENTERPRISE — A metal train sculpture created by local artist Matt Clark will now greet visitors to Enterprise.

Sculptor Matt Clark (seated) poses with Enterprise Mayor Brandon Humphries (fifth from left) and Enterprise High School students who helped weld sections of track during the installation of “Dixie Express” train sculpture, Enterprise, Utah, April 18, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“We’ll take St. George’s leftovers any day,” said Enterprise Mayor Brandon Humphries said on Thursday as he and a group of other workers and volunteers placed the locomotive engine and two cars on segmented rails atop a raised bed of rocks.

Up until this week, the sculpture had been on display on the grounds of the Zions Bank building in downtown St. George, as part of the “Art Around the Corner” collection showcasing metal sculptures by various local artists.

Clark’s sculpture, known as “Dixie Express,” is made of oxidized iron components welded together and consists of a locomotive pulling two smaller cars containing five whimsical stylized figures that are playing musical instruments.

Clark, who was on hand to oversee Thursday’s installation, spoke to St. George News while a group of Enterprise High School students took turns welding the sections of track together.

Clark said he’s worked on the sculpture off and on for more than a decade.

Clark said an earlier version of the sculpture was originally scheduled to be placed in St. George back in 2012.

“I had an agreement with the mayor then, but then the day before the install, let’s say the bureaucrats got involved and they killed the project,” he said, adding that he subsequently pitched the project to Washington City but was unsuccessful.

Workers help with the installation of “Dixie Express” train sculpture by artist Matt Clark, Enterprise, Utah, April 18, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“They weren’t ready to do anything, so I showed it to several places downtown (in St. George) on private property,” he added, noting that it did eventually end up as part of “Art Around the Corner.”

However, that ended up not being a permanent situation, he noted.

“This is gonna be its forever home now,” Clark said on Thursday as the workers put the finishing touches on the installation. It is located on the north side of the roadway in front of the Sleep E Motel at 855 E. Main, Enterprise.

“I decided well, this is really my hometown,” added Clark, who now resides in Diamond Valley. “I grew up out here in Enterprise and Beryl. I thought, ‘I’ll just gift this as a token of gratitude, because I love this area so much. So, it’s a gift to the town of Enterprise.”

Clark also explained the symbolism behind the piece and noted that the musicians’ cars were added after the locomotive.

“When a project fell through and didn’t go in, I just kept adding more pieces,” he explained.

“The train is a symbol of the 1800s coming forward, when the pioneers settled this region,” Clark said, adding that his mother, who was an historian, taught him about the pioneer era and how important music was to those early settlers.

“Growing up in the little town of Washington, they had an annual tradition where a band would go around early in the morning on the holidays to wake the community,” Clark added.

For more information about Clark and his works of sculpture, visit his website.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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