Did You Know There’s a Secret Stonehenge in Downtown Kalamazoo?

As weird as it sounds, I already knew about the dinosaur park on Western’s campus but this Stonehenge replica was certainly news to me!

How much do you know about it– if anything at all?

I saw some photos posted on local Facebook group Vanished Kalamazoo and although the area pictured didn’t look very familiar to me, the subject matter sure piqued my curiosity! Holley Zantjer and her son were exploring some trails just outside of Kalamazoo and stumbled across this mysterious replica. Naturally, she had some questions! Asks Holley,

We came across these on our walk today, I’ve never even seen these before there, pretty cool. Does anyone know who did these?

From Holley’s images it’s clear this monument is similar to the original Stonehenge in England, but what’s unique about Kalamazoo’s Stonehenge is it features very detailed pillars that each make reference to other famous local landmarks.

The Circular Ruin

It turns out that while Holley and her son Jose Doniaz were out on their walk in Mayor’s Riverfront Park they actually stumbled across a piece of art!

According to WMUK artist Mitchell Wilcox was commissioned to build a sculpture park in the 1990s. It’s been over 20 years since the artwork was set in place and Mitchell’s details surrounding its origins are a little fuzzy. Wilcox told WMUK he believed funding for the project came from K College but the school found no record of its commission, which adds to the mystery!

The Meaning:

According to Wilcox each pillar is meant to represent a different era of Kalamazoo and the items in the pillars were donated by the locals themselves. Wilcox says you’ll find everything,

From bones and plant life that I collected from here, to Pokagon artifacts to celery…and then we go to Bell’s and more modern stuff

To get to Kalamazoo Stonehenge start at Mayor’s Riverfront Park and walk southeast on the bike path, past Homer Stryker Field. Note: it would be wise if you brought a friend. Don’t go exploring alone!

If you want to see another famous Stonehenge replica in Michigan– head to Nunica.