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South Dakota Attractions|Parks & Gardens

This Roadside Attraction In South Dakota Is The Strangest Thing You've Ever Seen

By Catherine Armstrong | Published March 24, 2017

We have some pretty strange roadside attractions in South Dakota (how about that giant prairie dog in front of the Ranch Store Gift Shop in Badlands National Park?). This attraction is strange, unique and pretty cool. You’ll find it in the town of Lemmon.

The Petrified Wood Park and Museum was completed in 1932. It contains a castle, a waterfall, a museum and hundreds of sculptures - all made of petrified wood, rocks and fossils.

It's the "World's Largest Petrified Park Of Its Kind." You'll find it at 500 Main Avenue in Lemmon. It's hard to miss - it takes up a whole block!

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The park was the visionary undertaking of Ole S. Quammen, whose passion was geology. In 1930, he started his project, hiring local unemployed men who were suffering during the Great Depression.

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The City of Lemmon took ownership of the park in 1954, when Quammen's heirs donated it. Now, it draws people from all over the country to this little town.

The park has around 100 conical-shaped statues. Many are made from pieces of petrified wood - on some, you'll find dinosaur bones and fossils embedded in the rock.

Some of the conical statues are made from "cannonballs." These are round rocks that were found in the Cannonball River in North Dakota.

The Petrified Wood Museum houses tons of local artifacts and antiques.

The next time you're in the area, make sure to include a stop in the little town of Lemmon. The park is free, so you can wander through whenever you'd like.

Have you ever visited the Petrified Wood Park? Tell us about your experience!

Want to explore more? Check out these 8 Roadside Attractions in South Dakota.

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