A thousand daffodils are in full bloom in front of the Iron County Museum in Hurley.
Their significance goes far beyond a sign of spring.
The Daffodil Project is a worldwide initiative to plant 1.5 million daffodils, one for each child that died in the Holocaust, nearly all of whom were Jewish.
The daffodil was chosen for its resemblance to the yellow star Jews were forced to wear during the holocaust.
Kristin Kolesar is the treasurer of the Iron County Museum. She says Hurley was selected as one of the sites for these daffodils because its connection to a man who was instrumental in fighting Nazi extremism in the U.S. in the 1930s and 40s.
“Last March, we were contacted by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, and they just contacted us out of the blue, and they offered us a historical marker for Leon Lewis. He was born in Hurley in 1888,” said Kolesar.
Lewis created a spy ring in Los Angeles to infiltrate the Friends of New Germany. They foiled several plans including those to blow up West Coast armories, docks, and warehouses as well stopped multiple assassination attempts.
Kolesar says after they submitted the final text for the historical marker, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation also asked if they’d be interested in participating in the Daffodil Project.
They purchased the 1,000 bulbs that were planted last fall by the Range Master Gardeners.
Kolesar says they’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to the daffodils project.
“I think it's very meaningful, especially since there are very few World War II veterans remaining, and we haven't had, I don't think, any Holocaust survivors living in Hurley, but those worldwide, that number is definitely dwindling as well,” said Kolesar. “I think it's going to be a great remembrance for people to realize the significance of what happened and how terrible it really was.”
The historical marker for Leon Lewis is expected to be installed in August.
Kolesar has been researching Lewis to put together an exhibit to go along with it. She says it will be a timeline of major American history events and how Lewis’ actions correspond with it.
“It's been really rewarding, because I've been working very closely with two of his grandchildren just to get their perspective on things and to learn about his personal life. We've been analyzing letters that he wrote, looking at photographs, just trying to figure out who was the man behind this great success,” she said.
The exhibit will go up with the marker towards the end of summer.
There will be a dedication on August 20th at 4:00 p.m.
People can view the daffodils now. Kolesar says there are plans to add 250 to 500 more bulbs this fall.
The Iron County Museum is located at 303 Iron Street in Hurley. It’s open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
