{"id":3625,"date":"2014-09-04T13:36:01","date_gmt":"2014-09-04T19:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/?p=3625"},"modified":"2016-09-13T11:26:41","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T17:26:41","slug":"adolphs-obsession-the-story-of-the-bible-in-stone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2014\/09\/adolphs-obsession-the-story-of-the-bible-in-stone\/","title":{"rendered":"Adolph&#8217;s obsession: The story of the Bible in stone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"slides-3625\" class=\"navis-slideshow\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"slide-nav\">\n\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"prev\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"next\"><\/a>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"slides_container\"><div id=\"3625-slide1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-solomon-porch-1-of-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-solomon-porch-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>To build Solomon's Porch, Adolph Land salvaged the pillars from a bank being demolished in Red Lodge decades ago.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-pathway-1-of-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-pathway-1-of-1-771x514.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>The entrance to Pathway Thru the Bible, about a mile northeast of Joliet.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-general3-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-general3-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>You can lose yourself in the little world created by Adolph Land.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide4\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Jericho-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Jericho-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>The walls of Jericho came tumbling down.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide5\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Sermon-Mount-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Sermon-Mount-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>The Sermon on the Mount, with the smaller slabs representing the mass of listeners.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide6\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-squirrel-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-squirrel-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>One of the many incongruous surprises in store for visitors.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Beth-stable1-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Beth-stable1-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>The beautiful ceiling of the Bethlehem stable.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide8\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Beth-stable3-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Beth-stable3-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Another scene from the stable.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide9\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Better-Calvary-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Better-Calvary-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Three crosses on Calvary.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide10\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Ararat-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Ararat-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Mount Ararat, and Noah's dove.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide11\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Blind-healing-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Blind-healing-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Jesus healing the blind<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide12\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-building-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-building-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Driving west on Highway 212, you can't miss this old building at the entrance to Pathway Thru the Bible.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide13\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Daniel-1-of-1-771x1156.jpg*771*1156\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Daniel-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Daniel in the lion's den.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide14\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-general2-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-general2-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Besides being interesting in its own right, the Pathway Thru the Bible is also a nice little oasis.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide15\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Jacob-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Jacob-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>An engraving of Jacob.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide16\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Jordan-river-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Jordan-river-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>rdanEd Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>The Jordan River.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide17\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Lots-wife-1-of-1-771x1156.jpg*771*1156\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-Lots-wife-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Lot's wife. Shouldn't have looked back.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide18\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-porch1-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-porch1-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Another view of Solomon's Porch.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide19\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-small-pillars-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-small-pillars-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>A smaller set of pillars near the entrance.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide20\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-tour-books-1-of-1-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-tour-books-1-of-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Tour books are available.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"3625-slide21\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-wall-writing-1-of-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-wall-writing-1-of-1-771x514.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>The writing on the wall, from the Book of Daniel.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><script>jQuery( document ).ready( function() { loadSlideshow( 3625, 'https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2014\/09\/adolphs-obsession-the-story-of-the-bible-in-stone\/', 21 ) } );<\/script>\n<p>Part of the charm of the Pathway Thru the Bible, one of the oddest roadside attractions in Montana, is that it is so rarely visited.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t prevent me from wanting to spread the word, to encourage other people to go there.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>I have taken dozens of people there over the past 25 years, and I think I can say that nobody has been disappointed. Adults generally have been skeptical to begin with, especially those who had driven Highway 212 between Rockvale and Red Lodge countless times and had never stopped in before.<\/p>\n<p>The perverse, unconscious logic was, if they had never pulled over before, it must not be worth the trouble. Nor is the name likely to generate much interest on the part of your average adult. To a lot of people, Pathway Thru the Bible sounds like Disney on Ice, only cheesier.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"well\"><div class=\"dfad dfad_pos_1 dfad_first\" id=\"_ad_652\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/mjhWkW\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/201703_capeair_variable.jpg\" alt=\"CapreAir_Variable\" width=\"510\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18069\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>Kids don\u2019t really care where the car stops, as long as it stops. They always want to get out and investigate the world, and in their minds the whole world is supposed to look like Pathway Thru the Bible. The author of the children\u2019s books \u201cA Series of Unfortunate Events\u201d understood the desire of children to live in a world of phantasmagorical buildings and surreal landscapes.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what Pathway Thru the Bible reminds me of, a guided tour of the Bible, led by Lemony Snicket.<\/p>\n<p>The statues, tableaus, sculpture groupings, buildings, engravings and mosaics all point to some book or scene from the Bible, but to me, more than anything, they point to the unique, eccentric genius of their creator, Adolph Land.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3648\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"addboard wp-image-3648 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-arch-bridge-1-of-1.jpg\" alt=\"Ark\" width=\"771\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-arch-bridge-1-of-1.jpg 771w, https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-arch-bridge-1-of-1-336x224.jpg 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The arched bridge represents the rainbow leading to Mount Ararat, resting place of Noah&#8217;s Ark.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>More about Adolph in a moment. You probably want to know where Pathway Thru the Bible is. It\u2019s less than a mile east of Joliet, on the north side of 212 right before that big bend in the highway. Look for the expansive grove of trees in that otherwise fairly treeless stretch. In amongst the foliage is a small Pathway Thru the Bible sign, a larger, older, crooked sign that reads \u201cBiblical Story in Stone,\u201d and between them an old log and plaster building with faded lettering on the front.<\/p>\n<p>Adolph and his wife, Helen, moved there in the mid-1950s, evidently selling their honey out of the building just mentioned. Adolph began building Pathway Thru the Bible in the early 1960s and stayed at it until his death in 1984.<\/p>\n<p>I never did meet him, but I spoke with Helen when I wrote a story on Pathway Thru the Bible for the Billings Gazette 14 years ago. She told some wonderful stories about her late husband, a Lutheran who read the Bible every night for at least half an hour. In preparation for illustrating a new scene from the Bible, he\u2019d read the passages in question over and over until he had conceived a way to tell the story in stone.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3649\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignright\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"addboard wp-image-3649 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-telescope-1-of-1.jpg\" alt=\"Telescope\" width=\"336\" height=\"504\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">This telescope represents the star-gazing pursuits of the Magi. Generations of kids have peered through its rusty length.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Well, not stone exclusively. Adolph collected rocks, geodes, seashells, petrified wood and petrified algae, crystals, corals and agates. Over the years, friends who traveled abroad started bringing back artifacts they thought Adolph could use, including stones from the Jordan River and Vatican City.<\/p>\n<p>What he did with all those materials is stunning \u2014 and delightfully weird. The walls of Jericho, felled by the blast of trumpets, are represented by a tower and a heap of tumbled bricks. A line of pillars representing Solomon\u2019s Porch, outside the great temple in Jerusalem, were salvaged by Adolph when a Red Lodge bank was being demolished.<\/p>\n<p>My daughters\u2019 favorite feature is known as the Wise Men\u2019s Tower. It is a pile of rock with a telescope on top, representing the Three Wise Men\u2019s indulgence in astronomy. The cast-iron stairs leading to the platform, according to a guidebook available on site, were salvaged from the famous Josephine steamboat.<\/p>\n<p>The telescope, or whatever it originally was, never did work very well, but it thrilled the kids every time. (Their dad was pretty impressed, too.)<\/p>\n<p>The site is not all that large, but it is crammed with dozens of such representations, all of them worth investigating, whether your interest is in the religious aspects of the scenes or in Adolph\u2019s remarkable obsession.<\/p>\n<p>He apparently had a sense of whimsy, too. Scattered throughout the site, tucked into little nooks and crannies, are numerous pieces of pure kitsch \u2014 plastic and ceramic statues of squirrels, rabbits, dwarves, toads and more.<\/p>\n<p>Three years after Adolph died, taking care of the Pathway became too much for Helen. After some looking, she engineered a house swap with Rick and Verdine White of Billings, who wanted to raise their children in a small town.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3650\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"addboard wp-image-3650 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bible-Story-dwarves-1-of-1.jpg\" alt=\"Dwarves\" width=\"336\" height=\"253\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">These merry dwarves are not found in the Bible, but Adolph Land gave them a home in Pathway Thru the Bible.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Verdine told me they also prayed hard about the proposal and decided they had been called to maintain Adolph\u2019s life work. They still live there and still maintain the Pathway, mostly keeping it tidy and in good repair.<\/p>\n<p>Even after 27 years there, Verdine said, \u201cI totally love every minute of all the cleanup out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As has always been the case, admission to the grounds is free, though there is a donation box. Verdine said some tour groups stop by occasionally, but she estimates that fewer than 10 people a week stop by \u2014 on a stretch of highway that sees some 2,500 vehicles a day.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re welcome to tour the grounds yourself, or knock on the Whites\u2019 door. If Verdine\u2019s there, you might get a guided tour. Although Rick is now retired and has more time to work on the Pathway, Verdine said they have to acknowledge that they, like Helen, won\u2019t able to take care of the Pathway Thru the Bible indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re praying for,\u201d Verdine said, \u201cthat someone else will feel this is where they need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Part of the charm of the Pathway Thru the Bible, one of the oddest roadside attractions in Montana, is that it is so rarely visited. That doesn\u2019t prevent me from wanting to spread the word, to encourage other people to go there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,747],"tags":[1282,1281,1285,1280,386,1283,1284],"class_list":["post-3625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diversions","category-photo-galleries","tag-adolph-and-helen-land","tag-joliet","tag-mount-ararat","tag-pathway-thru-the-bible","tag-red-lodge","tag-rick-and-verdine-white","tag-solomon","prominence-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}