North Dakota's Enchanted Highway

In 1989, the small town of Regent, North Dakota was getting smaller, and with no prospects in sight for bringing in visitors and jobs, former school principal Gary Greff came up with an idea: He would build an ‘enchanted highway’ full of sculptures that would lead visitors to Regent.

…but these wouldn’t just be any sculptures. These would be massive sculptures. Via the always wonderful Atlas Obscura:

With zero experience welding or creating art, he began building the world’s largest metal sculptures and placing them along the “Enchanted Highway,” or Highway 21.

By 2006, Greff had completed a total of seven mammoth sculptures for the 32-mile stretch of road. All are thematically related to the western North Dakota’s cultural and historical roots. For instance, in one sculpture Teddy Roosevelt dominates the rolling hills, while in another, grasshoppers five times the size of a car feast on golden wheat rising from scoria rock beds.

You can also see Tin Family (1991), Geese in Flight (2000), Deer Crossing (2001), Covey of Pheasants (1998), Fisherman’s Dream (2006), and more. See them in person, via google maps, or via the Great Big Story video above.