The Enchanted Highway is a collection of the world's largest

scrap metal Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have monetary value, especially recover ...

sculptures constructed by Gary Greff at intervals along a stretch of a two-lane highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

Description

The road has no highway number, although its northern portion is th Avenue SW (counting from Bismarck, which is to the east). The Enchanted Highway extends north from

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

to the

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

exit on

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

east of Dickinson. Each sculpture has a developed pull-out and several have picnic shelters; the highway passes through scenic farm country with intermittent buttes. ''Geese in Flight'' is visible from I-94, standing 110 feet tall and 150 feet wide. In 2002, it was recognized as the world's largest scrap metal sculpture by the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

''.

History

Local artist Gary Greff conceived of the project and began building it in 1989, and continues to maintain the sculptures. He took inspiration from local wildlife and historical figures, including

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. Greff's intention was to revive his hometown of Regent, after decades of population and economic decline. In 2012, Greff opened a motel, The Enchanted Castle, in Regent, continuing the theme of the Enchanted Highway. The State of North Dakota provided $75,000 in its 2019-2020 budget to assist Greff in maintaining the sculptures; prior to that year, he had used his own money and donations to pay for upkeep. The highway attracts approximately 6,000 tourist cars per year.

Sculptures

*''The Tin Family'' (1991) *''Teddy Roosevelt Rides Again'' (1993) *''Pheasants on the Prairie'' (1996) *''Grasshoppers in the Field'' (1999) *''Geese in Flight'' (2001) *''Deer Crossing'' (2002) *''Fisherman's Dream'' (2006) *''Wirly Gigs'' (Unknown) *''Sir Albert and the Dragon'' (In progress) *''Spider Webs'' (In progress)

Gallery

Image:Grasshoppers in the Field sculpture.jpg, Grasshoppers in the Field Image:Fisherman's Dream sculpture.jpg, Fisherman's Dream Image:"Pheasants on the Prairie," Enchanted Highway, Regent, North Dakota LCCN2010630885.tif, Pheasants on the Prairie Image:"The Tin Family," Enchanted Highway, Regent, North Dakota LCCN2010630884.tif, The Tin Family

References

External links

{{Attached KML
Regent and the Enchanted Highway
area placemarks for Google Earth.

a Photo Gallery by J. Q. Jacobs.

Regent, North Dakota.
North Dakota Tourism website

National Geographic Top 10 U.S. Roadside Attractions

The Enchanted Highway at Dakota Search
Outdoor sculptures in North Dakota Buildings and structures in Hettinger County, North Dakota Tourist attractions in Hettinger County, North Dakota Roadside attractions in North Dakota Sculpture series Animal sculptures in North Dakota Sculptures of fish in the United States Sculptures of birds in the United States