The passion Rasmus Petersen felt as he began creating the Petersen Rock Garden in 1935 remains alive to this day in both the caretakers of the property and the visitors who flood the grounds daily. Petersen lovingly built the ornate rock sculptures over four acres on his rural property between Bend and Redmond, first sourcing the rocks from his potato field, then traveling within an 85-mile radius. He continued adding to the sculptures and created a museum and diner, until his death in 1952. It remained in his family for decades eventually selling to another family in 2022. The passage of time has taken a toll on the structures, but over the past few months, the museum received a remodel after being selected as the winner of Webfoot Home Improvement’s Project Serious 2025.
“We got a new floor. They had to repair the old floor. It was cracked and uneven,” Petersen Rock Garden Manager Tonia Smith told the Source. The museum’s interior also received a new coat of paint and an updated black light room which now has UV fluorescent chips in the floor. The work totaled more than $20,000.
“Webfoot has been holding Project Serious for 18 years now,” Webfoot General Manager Scott Johnson says. “Our owners Travis Ulrich and Gavin Hepp wanted to find the best way to give back to the community — through our service and craftsmanship. The first winner was the Ronald McDonald House of Bend.”
The Rock Garden, which is a nonprofit, continues to draw a crowd. Smith says during spring break they had between 100 to 200 daily visitors who are free to wander around the property to see multiple castle sculptures and miniature bridges made from colorful stones such as agate, jasper, thundereggs and obsidian. Some of the boulders are massive, but Petersen told folks that handling the stones and boulders was nowhere near the work he did in farming year after year, plowing fields on hundreds of acres and hauling off tons of rocks. Part of the special atmosphere also comes from more than three dozen peacocks and pea hens strolling the property. At this time of year, the males are fanning their colorful tail feathers to impress females during a mating ritual.
This time of year peacocks are spreading their feathers in full display to attract females.
The museum, seen in the background, got an interior makeover after winning Webfoot’s Project Serious 2025.
The museum houses a massive rock collection that volunteers help maintain.
When a cabinet was removed from the museum for the remodel, crews found a brochure from the 1950s. They also have postcards showing how the property looked back then with flowers blooming between the rocks, something they’re planning to revive. There’s also a deteriorating swan boat, once used in the ponds. Smith says they have the blueprints and the hope is to build new ones once they have the money and after removing reeds overtaking the ponds. Volunteers play a key role in polishing rocks, doing repairs and maintenance. Petersen passed away in 1952 while sitting in a wicker chair, still on hand, in front of the stone fireplace inside the museum.
There’s a black light room inside the museum that also has a sparkling floor.
Hundreds of rocks are inside the museum. Many were donated.
The floor inside the museum was replaced and the interior received a fresh coat of paint.
Visitors can walk on the stone bridges.
Rasmus Petersen spent nearly two decades building his masterpiece.
Petersen once said clearing land for farming was harder than hauling boulders for his sculptures.
Visitors can wander the grounds amid the rock sculptures and peacocks.
Rasmus Petersen started creating his rock garden in 1935.
Rasmus Petersen died in 1952 beside this rock fire place inside the museum.
Memories of Petersen remain top of mind. Smith says her father was friends with him, and so far, five generations of her family have been visiting the Rock Garden, soon to be six generations when her five-month-old granddaughter comes for the first time in the fall. “There’s a lot of people who come out and tell us their generational stories. You know, ‘I came here as a kid, had to bring my kids,’ and ‘I was here with my grandparents,’ or ‘my grandparents knew Rasmus.’ So, it’s a pretty neat place. Everybody’s coming together,” she says.
The museum, which has been closed since February, will reopen during a grand reopening celebration on Saturday, April 4 from 1 to 4pm. “There will be a ribbon cutting, a silent auction, Webfoot is holding a free raffle, we are supplying limited beverages and Peterson is going to have light hors d’oeuvres. I believe Acme Hotdogs is going to have a food cart there as well. It’s going to be an amazing afternoon,” Johnson says. Voting for Webfoot’s 2026 Project Serious beneficiary is live through April 5. Volunteers with knowledge of geology will also be in the museum to talk about the rocks on display.
“We’ve been waiting for this and are pretty excited,” Smith says.
Petersen Rock Garden
Museum Grand Reopening Sat. Apr 4 1-4pm
Regular Hours: Thu-Mon 10am-4pm
7930 SW 77th St, Redmond
petersenrockgarden.org/
Grand Reopening Free / Other times: Suggested $10 donation
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