BY C.L. MARTIN
Every summer my babies and I make our annual trip through the Enchanted Highway. This year our journey was postponed a little bit due to our busy schedule, but we managed to make it out there on my Birthday!
WHAT IS THE ENCHANTED HIGHWAY?
The enchanted highway is home of the some of the most amazing metal art in the world. It consists of a 35 mile stretch of highway between exit 72 on Interstate 94 and Regent, ND. This stretch of highway features 8 different sculptures designed and built by small town retired schoolteacher, Gary Greff starting in 1990.
Gary Greff saw his small prairie town dying out, like many small towns in the US. With the addition of the interstate system running across the country many of the smaller towns were bypassed. Regent was one of these towns. Gary felt that if he could find a way to attract tourists, business would pick up and the town would be able to survive.
In 1991 Gary completed the installation of his first metal sculpture. “The Tin Family” boasts a little farming family made of a blend of scrap metals. The “Father” has the farmer look while standing 45’ tall and holding a pitchfork.
“Mother” Stands an astounding 44’ tall, making her one foot shorter than her husband. She is featured wearing a tan prairie dress and hat and holds a small basket of metal flowers also made of scrap metal.
The “Son” stands 23’ tall. He is sporting cloths from the late 80’s early 90’s including a cute propeller hat. His green metal jersey sports the number 14 and his huge smile can be attributed to his red lollipop.
Once the first set of sculptures were complete Gary decided he wanted to mix up the style of each sculpture. He felt that by adding different artistic styles visitors would find the sculptures more interesting. It also allowed him to feature all of his metal work skills.
STARTING AT THE BEGINNING!
From interstate 94 you can see the largest of the Enchanted Highways sculptures “Geese In Flight”.
“Geese in Flight" currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world. It stands at an outstanding 110’ tall and is 154’ wide. This sculpture displays a group of Canadian Geese flying across the prairie back dropped by the sun.
As shown above the structure is supported by multiple guy wires keeping the piece in place. Along the bottom of the display a range of North Dakota Style hills frame the bottom of the sculpture.
As you travel down the highway towards regent the next statue you will run across is “Deer Crossing”.
I had a hard time finding the dimensions of this sculpture. Fallowing the idea that different styles would attract more attention you can see a shadow cut out style was used, and negative space was added to highlight the lighter areas of the deer. A white tail buck is seen jumping the fence as his doe stands watch.
At this sculpture you will also find an amazing scrap metal maze. Each time we stop at this installment my kids enjoy trying to figure their way through it together. Because we only go once a year they tend to forget the path.
In past years we discovered that the Enchanted Highway, including this maze, was as geocaching haven. We looked this year as well and did not find the cache again, but we felt it was a fun aspect to include for future visitors. We may have simply missed the location this year and someone else may have better luck discovering it.
As you move further down the highway the next sculpture you will come along is “Grasshopper Field” which was completed in 1999.
If you don’t care for bugs than you may want to skip this stop on the Enchanted Highway. I highly recommend the stop though. They are a site to see.
These fun grasshoppers range in height from 12’-40’ tall. In the background you will see the yellow wheat stalks. While some of them have been tipped over by the infamous North Dakota wind the askew stalks add a little more dimension.
There is also a small play area including a bouncy hopper ride and a jungle gym. Your little ones can work out their energy before you hop back in the car and head to the next stop.
Fallowing the “Grasshopper Field” you will find the “Fisherman’s Dream”.
The “Fisherman‘s Dream” was finished and put together more recently in 2007. This outstanding scene features multiple freshwater fish found around North Dakota. To the left of the main display there is a portion of a sunken boat that you can climb into for a fantastic photo opportunity.
CAUTION: During the summer months use caution, however, as snakes will use the bottom of the boat as the perfect place to hide from the prairie sun. (Rattle snakes included.)
Each fish shows the amazing eye for detail Gary has. The variation in color from the fish scales to the plant life adds to the wonder of the piece.
Gary recently did some maintenance on this particular sculpture. He restructured some of the plant life and touched up the fish scales that had come loose over the years.
Even though he is in his 70’s he still does all the maintenance on the sculptures as well as the surrounding areas. The land that each statue stands on he has leased from local landowners and farmers further supporting the community of Regent.
The next sight on the Enchanted Highway is the “Pheasants on the Prairie”.
“Pheasants on the Prairie” features the classic North Dakota prairie foul. You can see the classic brighter colors on the male and the duller camouflage colors of the female and chicks.
These amazing pieces show yet another of Garys amazing abilities to work with metal. Each is covered in scrap metal mesh surrounding a three-dimensional frame. The tallest of the birds stands at an outstanding 60 ft high and was completed in 1996.
Between the Pheasants ant the Tin Family we met earlier you will find the second piece Gary completed in 1993. “Teddy Roosevelt”.
“Teddy Roosevelt” is an amazing tribute to not only one of our nation's presidents but also to all of the amazing contributions Teddy made to North Dakota.
Here not only do you see Gary’s metal bending skills featured but also his wood working skills. With Teddy in the background astride his noble stead in the foreground you see an old stagecoach drawn by four black horses. You can climb into the stage for yet another amazing photo opportunity!
The final installment on the Enchanted Highway can be found at the end of the road in Regent, North Dakota. “Sir Regent”.
“Sir Regent” has been just recently raised in 2021. We are not sure if it is fully completed yet as you can see the hands are still in rough form. The shield showcases some amazing design work. What is Sir Regent protecting the castle from you ask?
A Dragon!!!
Here you will see the Dragon the Sir Regent faces. Again, we are not sure if the piece is totally completed as it appears that the wings are still under construction. However, following Gary’s blended style, this may simply be the aesthetic he was going for. The dragon appears to have lived a safe and happy life until now as his large belly shows that he is well fed.
Once you have explored all the amazing metal works of Gary you will find yourself at the Enchanted Castle.
As Gary worked away to bring tourists to Regent, he also had another attraction in the works.
The Enchanted Castle is a 19 room Midlevel themed motel complete with midlevel themed restaurant/bar. Gary transformed his old abandoned high school into this unique getaway complete with a working drawbridge, Armored knights guarding the halls and many other amazing features.
Having been a former school, he was able to refurbish the gymnasium into a full gym and basketball court. Hot tubs are available for guests as well as dining in the Excalibur Steakhouse and Tavern.
The Enchanted Highway is truly a destination my family recommends. It is an annual delight for us, and we always look forward to seeing the updates and new pieces that are added to this incredible art display.
It is a tribute to an amazing artist, North Dakota, and the difference one person can make in the survival of a community!
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