Black and White Wednesday ~ Rock Garden

We visited a local rock garden today ~ It was a bit run down, but very entertaining. Rasmus Petersen, a Danish immigrant who settled in Central Oregon in the early 1900's, began constructing the garden in 1935 using rocks he found within an 85 mile radius of his family home. Petersen constructed detailed miniature castles, churches, small buildings and monuments from a large variety of rock types. He also incorporated other design elements such as bridges, lily ponds, fountains and natural landscaping. Petersen worked on the garden until his death in 1952. The garden has remained in his family's care since then and is considered a roadside attraction with novelty architecture. A visitor will also meet plenty of roaming peafowl and enjoy a museum with a gift shop that sells rocks.


Here are a few shots in black and white. I loved how the run down place was settled into the the farmland around it, that these fancy buildings seemed to rise out of the dust....and that they have stood their ground. For years!