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The Alex Halone property is located in a residential area of Thermopolis that is close to the Big Horn River. Halone, a skilled stone mason who emigrated from Finland, utilized his talents in the construction of his house in 1909-1910 and later in the construction on the property of a garage, picnic shelter, barn/garage, fish pond bridge, well, outdoor grill, stone walkways and walls, and log sauna. Mr. Halone's imaginative combination of different types of stone, including river rock, travertine, flagstone, sandstone and granite, is exhibited on the buildings he constructed for personal use as well as other examples of his work in the Thermopolis area. The Halone property illustrates the talents of an energetic stone mason who continued to add to his personal property through the years. Similar to other craftsmen, Halone used his own house and out buildings to showcase his talent. Halone shared his knowledge with his son Eugene and worked with his grandsons teaching them stone masonry. Through the years, Mr. Halone remodeled the house to fit the needs of his family as well as the community. When housing was limited in Thermopolis during the 1920s, Halone altered his house and converted rooms into separate apartments to accommodate new immigrants and others in need of housing. The log sauna, constructed by Alex and Eugene Halone with assistance from Lauri Suikaonen in 1946-51, is an unusual sight in Wyoming. Only one other Finnish sauna has been identified in the state and it does not have the distinctive appearance of Alex Halone's sauna. The Halone sauna is an exceptionally significant part of Wyoming's architectural folk heritage.
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