Garden of Eden Found

I've heard about the Garden of Eden years ago and from stories I gathered, it sounded very interesting.  Finally last Friday I got to visit the place.  It was not what I had in mind.  I was thinking of beautiful, colorful sculptures made from different mediums like metals or wood perhaps.  My disappointment, however, was changed to that of curiosity.  The sculptures were a jumble of images that at first doesn't made sense but I know there's got to be a story line in all of them.

The place is closed and no guided tours are offered because of the Covid19 but we were free to enjoy the artwork at our own leisure outside.  Not knowing where to start, I headed to the west side of the house.  I found I was looking at "Labor" crucified in the middle with four characters "Preacher," "Banker," "Lawyer" and "Politician" on all four sides.  I struggled to think what the creator, Mr. Dinsmoor, must have in mind when he fashioned these sculptures.  I moved on to a huge bird sculpture with the American flag behind it and then to my left was something that looked like a ziggurat and I saw up the tower above it, was some sort of a ritualistic scene.  I can't make it out from where I was standing. 

As I moved on from sculpture to sculpture, I noticed lots of serpentine images.  Once I got to the other side of the house where the "Garden of Eden" gate was, I was able to weave out a story, mainly, the fall of man but rounding the corner I was lost as to what all the sculptures before me were about.  Mike and JJ helped me out "interpreting" the images before us.  Mr. Dinsmoor tried to express his ideas and ideology through this folk art medium that he had created.  To me, it is like reading an old, old, newsprint, only these are in concrete sculptures.

Apparently, Mr. Dinsmoor dug up his first wife's bones and moved it to the present Dinsmoor "mausoleum" right on the corner of his property where his body is also.  The mausoleum is part of the tour but I probably won't even want to peek.

Anyway, here is the video I uploaded on You Tube of our jaunt last Friday in Lucas, Kansas.  Feel free to drop a comment on what you think of the place, the artwork and the idea behind this labor of love by Mr. Dinsmoor which is considered the 8th Wonder of Kansas.  Enjoy and blessings!