Ellsworth Rock Garden at Kabetogama Lake - VNP

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Ranked #28 in Local, #3,648 overall

All Natural Rock Garden by Jack Ellsworth

Ellsworth Rock Garden created by J.E. Ellsworth from 1944 to 1965 on Kabetogama Lake, Minnesota in Voyageurs National Park is a historic grotto. Jack was a Chicago building contractor who lived on the north shore of lake during the warm season with his wife. The rock garden is Ellsworth's artistic expression for the fondness he had for the wilderness lake area. As a building contractor, Ellsworth gave lessons to interested people on how to build dry wall. As a child we would go visit the rock gardens and Mr. and Mrs Ellsworth, who loved to have folks stop by. They kept the rock gardens filled with blooming flowers and it was a spectacular sight to see. It has been a long time since the Ellsworths have been alive. Voyageurs National Park Service still maintains the property and has added a public area for picnics and relaxing. The Ellsworth Rock Garden is a dramatic attraction for visitors to explore in wonder when they come to Kabetogama Lake, to the tune of approximately 100 visitors a day during the tourist season. Some of the floral remnants still remain. The grotto is accessable by boat in Voyageurs water park.

 

News: Twin Cities Public Television Film, "Minnesota's National Park Legacy" The film was aired in October 2009 The legacies of Minnesota's National Park sites takes a look at Voyageurs National Park and Grand Portage National Monument. The film's producer is Steve Spencer.

 

Host: Susie Lehto a Squid Giant and Squid Angel

 

Updated: 11.15.09 ~ Fall is in the air!



Ellsworth Rock Garden - Gallery Images 

You can see the entrance plaque that was built in dedication to Ellsworth's Garden and how well the grass is kept up by park rangers. It truly is a historic site to see.

J.E. Ellsworth didn't have the equipment to stand a rock like this on end, and his wife would never have been able to help. 

The couple was only able to access their Rock Garden Paradise by boat because there was no road and they were never there in the winter to use the frozen lake.

Distant view 

Can you imagine the garden when it was full of colorful flowers? Oh, it was so beautiful to see, even from the lake in a boat. We would stop by when the flowers were in full bloom. It was remarkable! Ellsworth used water from the lake to water the plants when it hadn't rained.

I Have Always Wondered How He Did It! 

The structure is very sturdy because the rocks naturally formed together.

Ellsworth took a more natural form of sculpting things together. Remember he was a building contractor - and an artist.

Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth had a wild albino skunk running around tame that they feed. Mr. Ellsworth told our Dad that the skunk had never been denatured of its wild scent glands, and that it never sprayed around there. They would feed the wild animals treats by hand even and they all lived together in harmony...with nature.

Ellsworth Cleared The Land to Show the Rocks 

The piece of granite used for the sign was most likely split with dynamite. Dynamite was easy attainable. I remember that my Dad always had some dynamite, caps and fuses stored in the garage. There were times that he needed it for work projects.

A beautiful shade spot 

Ellsworth even provided those nice little rock garden areas in the shaded places. I'm more of a shade person myself than a blazing sun person. There's something here for everyone to enjoy, even if you don't climb rocks.

A bit of a cliff to be working on! 

Living at Kabetogama Lake you become a rock climber yourself if you love to be out in nature. There are many rock hill ridges to explore and enjoy!

Video with Footage of Ellswoth Rock Garden! 

This a a fishing video with MidWest Outdoors Magazine with Kabetogama resident Tim Watson as the fishing guide. There is some lovely footage of Ellsworth Rock Garden on the video.
MidWest Outdoors Magazine VIDEO
They caught some real nice Kabetogama Walleyes too!

Garden and view of house down below. 

You can see here that Ellsworth did use heavy black plastic to stop the weeds from over taking his beautiful garden. The dirt has been blown away by the winds and washed away by the rains.

Another view of the house near sunset... 

The setting sun and a safe sheltered cabin in the wilderness. Now that's living in the wilderness at Kabetogama Lake. It must have been like a dream come true for the Ellsworths, because that is what it feels like to me.

The View from near the House! 

When I was little I use to think that it looked so far to walk over to the garden from the house or the shore. Getting there was always well worth it and I could have stayed longer just walking around up on the garden and enjoying the tranquility.

The Deer - Video at Ellsworth Rock Garden 

The Deer a video at Ellsworth Rock Garden
A deer not scared at the Ellsworth Rock Garden on Kabetogama. How's that? :)

A Wild Deer That Was Tame - A Friend 

Deer are gentle animals and can become quiet tame when they know that they are safe. In fact most animals can become pretty friendly when they know they are safe. One must remember that they are wild animals though and can be unpredictable especially during their mating season.

A Very Zen Garden - Lichen Growing on Rocks 

Lichen is composite plants growing together in a symbiotic relationship - a bacterium and usually a green alga or cyan-o-bacterium. --- Moss grows in moist or shady areas and can also be found growing on the rocks in the garden. - This bit of information was provided by Shelly!

Ferns grow wild at Kabetogama Lake 

a natural garden - far view below

You can see this standing rock in the back-ground below... I remember our Dad saying that Ellsworth used leverage to get the rocks on end. That takes some know how!

Please, take the Poll! 

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2009 Visit at Ellsworth Rock Garden 

June 2nd - A Windy Day

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Standing Rocks 

I love the way the lichen is growing like a fancy hat...

What an elegant way to post that this is the edge of the garden at this point. Ellsworth used natures own wonderful elements. A garden edge, but an introduction to the great wilderness beyond this point. He added interest!

The Tipi Structure at the Top of the Hill! 

You knew there had to be a tipi in here somewhere, didn't you?

I remember being so attracted to this tipi that Mr. Ellsworth built. I suppose it just seemed fitting to him that there had to be a tipi in this wilderness setting. I would have loved to live there in a tipi. I will revisit this place again...

I'm Tipi the Tipigal 

If you like Tipis you might like this!

These Rocks Still Belong To: Ellsworth 

A fountain in the rain...where water pools and cascades down...

I would love to be in this spot during a good rain fall, just to watch the water run and fall from the rocks. It has to be real pretty to see. Kabetogama means "rough waters", so most people aren't out on the lake when there is a storm, unless they have good reason.

How to Build a Dry Stack Retaining Rock Wall 

How to Build a Dry Stack Retaining Rock Wall - wikiHow
wikiHow article about How to Build a Dry Stack Retaining Rock Wall.

Kabetogama Lake a Wilderness 

Kabetogama Maps - Voyageurs National Park

Bald Eagles in Voyageurs National Park
Kabetogama the Gateway to Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park Information and Photos 

Things To Do ~ Visitor Centers ~ Pictures

A cross roads for French Canadian Voyageurs fur traders who voyaged these beautiful scenic waters of interconnected lakes that were formed by glaciers. The pink and gray rock formations are some of the oldest in the world.
Visiting Voyageurs National Park and Kabetogama Lake by lensmaster Ramkitten

I would sign my name to this garden too... 

Ellsworth designed the dry walls in the garden to hold flower beds, but he also did it in a way to manipulate how the rain water would ripple and flow down the to the bottom.

Photo by Extreme Sports Fishing 

A Great Picture from Ellworth Rock Garden Posted on August 28th 2009

* Wonderful Picture of Ellsworth Rock Garden by Dave
Beautiful large picture at Ellsworth of the standing rocks!
* Xtreme Sports Fishing
Photo: Compliments of Dave! ~ Thank you!

Ellsworth Rock Garden Info Sign 

This sign is by the Kabetogama Walleye statue at the enterence to Kabetogama Lake.

It Reads: Visit a place like no other in the world. Accessible only by boat or over the ice. Ellsworth Rock Garden is a modern ruins reflecting effects of time and place on one man's artistic expression of design on the land.

Open your heart and mind, allowing your eyes to see simple, yet intriguing beauty. Here a human fell in love with a place, a place to call his own, but obviously meant to share with others. Land and water, ancient and wild, forming a landscape unique to Kabetogama Lake. This is the setting for Jack Ellsworth, a contractor and cabinet-maker from Chicago, who between 1944 and 1965 placed rock upon rock, his personal expression on this sixty-foot granite outcrop. The result of this labor of love is a thoughtful and thought-provoking collection of over 150 sculptures, plus walls, planters, buildings, and paths, dashes here and there with 62 flowerbeds.

Guest Book - Sign Your Name...Comments! 

How are you?

Williams Clan wrote in Guest Book

Our family just pontooned over to the rock gardens for a wonderful afternoon and picnic there! This man's work is just so worth going to see. Your pictures will be enjoyed often, in fact, this is how we heard about it. We also hit Kabetogama at the right time to enjoy both the Lady Slipper doings at the hall and the bazaar at the Methodist church. We will be back! The weather was just so beautiful though we all had to get sweatshirts for the chilly evenings around the campfire and we were not quite prepared for the mosquitoes at night, the campfire sure repelled them! Thank you for this! You are so lucky to have grown up in this beautiful place!
Posted July 13, 2009

It just warmed my heart to have William post this in the guest book, and I didn't want it to get lost in the guest book!

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  • Reply
    Tipi Tipi Oct 26, 2009 @ 7:12 am | in reply to superbookdepot
    Superbook, I'm sorry but I won't visit and rate your book lens, becayse you are spamming several of my guest books with the same request. That is not allowed on Squidoo, and I'm sure you are doing this to other people's guest books too. That is spam and will be reported as abuse. Sorry! ~ Best wishes to you!
  • Reply
    bloomingrose bloomingrose Oct 25, 2009 @ 2:48 pm
    The more I get into this topic, the more I am impressed by the beauty of rocks. Some people say rocks have a spirit, it is easy to believe.
  • Reply
    Tipi Tipi Oct 23, 2009 @ 1:45 pm | in reply to Shelly
    I know! It was rainy when I was there and that puts a damper on things a bit for going on the lake. Never know when the wind might pick-up and Kabetogama Lake does get rough fast. ~ I was stranded on an island with three friends once because our boat was too small to cross the lake. Even though it was raining we were able to find enough dry paper on us to get a fire started. One of the resort owners seen our signal-fire and came out with a big boat to rescue us from the aliments, and we towed our little boat behind. It was a rough ride, but very exciting. ! All is well that ends well!
  • Reply
    Shelly Shelly Oct 23, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
    Well, we didn't get to visit the Ellsworth Rock Garden this year--perhaps we'll make it to this wonderful place next season![in reply to Tipi]
  • Reply
    Tipi Tipi Oct 19, 2009 @ 6:14 pm | in reply to Kate-Phizackerley
    Angel Kate, thanks for the nice compliment and the blessing on this lens. Ellsworth's garden is a very special place and this lens it to me too. Bless your heart!
  • Reply
    Kate-Phizackerley Kate-Phizackerley Oct 19, 2009 @ 5:39 pm
    Beautiful photos. Blessed.
  • Reply
    Tipi Tipi Sep 16, 2009 @ 12:09 pm | in reply to JudeMooze
    Welcome to Squidoo Jude and Mooze! Very nice of you to to visit and leave compliments. Will be looking forward to getting to know you better, and if you need any help on Squidoo let me know...I'd be glad to help. ~ Best wishes to you both!

    Wishing everyone a great day!
  • Reply
    JudeMooze JudeMooze Sep 15, 2009 @ 5:44 pm
    What a beautiful place this must be. I would love to visit and see more of the area. Was looking around on the top 100 lens list and I can hardly believe how great they are, this one is beautiful.
    Jude and Mooze
  • Reply
    Tipi Tipi Sep 11, 2009 @ 2:20 pm | in reply to Dave
    Aw, that would be great Dave. No hurry, will be here! Appreciate the thoughtfulness very much!!! :)
  • Reply
    Dave Dave Sep 7, 2009 @ 2:19 pm | in reply to Kathy
    hey everyone i have more photos that I will post on the rock gardens and leave a link, should do it this week sometime, been so darn busy :) thanks!
  • Reply
    Kathy Kathy Sep 6, 2009 @ 4:42 pm
    We spent the last week at Woodenfrog, ate a couple meals at the Bait and Bite and Arrowhead Lodge. Best of all, we went over to the Ellsworth Rock Garden where we lunched and drew in the sonder of it all! I absolutely love the photo link of Dave's that you have added here. I hope you have also made a pilgrimage Ellsworth's, that's just what it felt like for me. My security word is "megawow" and that's just how I felt.
  • Reply
    Tipi Tipi Sep 3, 2009 @ 5:16 pm | in reply to Shelly
    I would image so about... there's always that one more rock to find. Cougars are very shy of humans, its more likely they will see you, than crossing paths. Very cool! You two must have been down wind and being quiet. What a sight to see.
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Kabetogama Lake is fortunate for the Ellsworths 

Kabetogama Lake a Wilderness - God's Country
Ellsworth Rock Garden is on Kabetogama Lake in Voyageurs Nat'l. Park
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Kabetogama Lake News Updates 

Area deer registrations down, as expected
Further north, registrations were off even more? down 36 percent in the International Falls area, which includes Orr and Lake Kabetogama. ...
Oveson featured in art exhibit
Inclusion in the exhibit is fitting, as Oveson died May 31, and a celebration of his life took place at the Lake Kabetogama Visitor's Center Oct. 3, ...
Gates shoots big buck, By LAUREL BEAGER, Editor
Phil Hart at Gateway Store in Kabetogama said he's registered close to the same number of bucks at this point in the season as last year. ...
The Johnson Journals
Browns invited Johnsons, Moes, & LaValleys to Weber's place at Kabetogama where we dined and then put on square dance exhibition for assembled multitude. ...

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Exclusive Photo by Nikki Westcott 

Your driving along those country roads and highways, and you see an old barn. Why is it so interesting? You are getting a glimpse into the history of events that have happened there. They happen at such speed, that, most people don't ever notice them.

Somehow, an old barn is a picture of beauty! People photograph things they love, and there are a lot of old barn pictures. They cause many to remember their own lives and roots. For many, old barns make people wonder. I really like this photo! Nikki just happens to be my daughter.

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Lensmaster Tipi has been a member since June 26 2008, has rated 2,695 lenses, favorited 2,384, and has created 81 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Kevin Skinner's Fans: AGTL Pictures~GuestBook". See all my lenses

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