'Rock Lake Icehenge': A Frozen Variant To The Stonehenge

Ice sculptures seem to be all the rage in the month of February, as was demonstrated by the Star Wars-inspired installation made by the Japanese army. However, this time around, the sculptural level has taken a monumental turn with five friends (Drew McHenry, Kevin Lehner, Quinn Williams, Alec Niedringhaus, and Patrick Shields) from Lake Mills, Wisconsin successfully creating the one-and-only Stonehenge entirely in ice. Christened as the Rock Lake Icehenge, the impressive achievement was displayed along Rock Lake near Bartel’s Beach, and was constructed by just using ice blocks from the frozen lake joined by finer snow and water.

The initial idea of creating an ice monument was hatched almost four years ago when the friends came across an old ice cutting equipment. However, their first try in 2014 didn’t really work out because of the then-prevailing weather conditions (a scenario which aptly shows the degree of precision needed for the construction project). But now in 2015, the team had gathered once again, and made use of a variety of tools including ice cutters, chainsaws, and tongs to built America’s very own Stonehenge. The feat is unarguably praiseworthy, given the almost 200-lb weight of each ice crossbeam and 300-lb weight of the individual pillars – used for the grand geometric arrangement.

Suffice it to say, the Rock Lake Icehenge didn’t have the endurance of the original Stonehenge that has withstood the natural elements for more than 5,000 years. In that regard, the frozen monument had to be taken down due to concerns about its slippery melting effect on the surrounding landscape (where people flocked to see the ice-made structure). In any case, photographer Eli Wedel has poetically immortalized the setup with the golden sun rays glistening translucently off the shimmering surfaces of the impeccably hewed ice.