What) Herman Rusch was born in 1885 to parents who had emigrated from East Prussia.  In 1952, after 40 years of working the land, Rusch retired. “To kill old-age boredom,” he first rented, then purchased the Prairie Moon Dance Pavilion and transformed it into a museum. Concerned that the grounds of the museum were barren, Rusch built his first concrete and stone planter circa 1958. That effort led to two new engrossing interests: the creation of huge sculptures and related flower beds. Rusch said that he “just kept on building. You don’t ever know where it will end up when you start.”

    Without any formal art training, he became a consummate craftsman and artist, searching local quarries for appropriate stone and developing exceptional masonry skills. In just one year, Rusch built a 260-foot arched fence that spans the north perimeter of the site. This gracefully arched fence marked the beginning of what would become Rusch’s 16-year effort to construct a colorful fantasy world based on his belief that “beauty creates the will to live.” His other sculptures include a Rocket to the Stars, a Hindu temple, dinosaurs and even a miniature mountain. By 1974, at the age of 89, Rusch had created nearly 40 sculptures. His final piece was among his most impressive: a 13-1/2-foot watchtower, constructed with rocks he collected from a quarry high in the nearby bluffs and pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. Rusch died eleven days after celebrating his 100th birthday in 1985, but his art remains a visual testament to his claim that, in life, “a fellow should leave a few tracks.” (1)

    Where) Prairie Moon Road

    Why) Over time I have learned that descriptions like these tend to be better than the things they describe.  This one was not an exception.