Petrified Wood Park – Lemmon, South Dakota - Atlas Obscura

Petrified Wood Park

An entire city block built completely out of petrified wood. 

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Lemmon is home to the world’s largest Petrified Wood Park.

Filling an entire block of the downtown area and built completely out of petrified wood, fossils and stone, the Petrified Wood Park and Museum started construction in 1930 and continued until 1932 under the supervision of Ole S. Quammen. In private ownership until 1954 when it was donated to the city by Quammen’s heirs.,the park features a wishing well, a waterfall, and a castle. The castle weighs 300 tons and boasts towering spires and turrets. Also in the park are two separate museums, both built entirely of petrified wood. The larger of the two is circular has a petrified grass floor along with petrified logs. Dinosaur claws, bird tracks and fossilized snakes can be seen in the swirls and patterns. The museum displays antiques and artifacts from the Lemmon area. The formations in the park number over 100 and are up to 20 feet tall.

Know Before You Go

The museum and visitor center are only open Memorial Day through Labor Day. You can visit the park all year long, however.

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