The Tlingit and Haida peoples of Alaska's southeast coast maintained a rich oral tradition of stories and myths passed from one generation to the next, and that tradition helped create and develop totem poles. Totem poles were carved and erected for different purposes or occasions, never for worship. Some were memorial poles raised to honor important individuals at their deaths or to mark a particular event. Whatever their type, the dramatic carvings on the poles reminded native viewers of events, people, and legends from their collective history, and in a culture with no written language they made a significant contribution to cultural continuity. They were "story poles" only in the sense that their carved figures served as symbols or memory aids to remind the storyteller of the principal characters and events being related. In Williams Township, James J. Rankin, after seeing totem poles on early trips to the Northwest, decided to make one for home and did so in 1971 by carving an oak tree; when it later deteriorated, he replaced it with two new poles made of concrete.