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All the United States California Yucca Valley Desert Christ Park

Desert Christ Park

On a barren hillside in the Yucca Valley, the recently restored Desert Christ Park has attracted pilgrims and kitsch hunters for over 50 years.

Yucca Valley, California

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Kirsten
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Biblical figure relaxing in the garden.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Little boy with steel legs, half a face and one arm.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Steely-armed girl.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Blessing of the children.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Bas-relief of the Last Supper.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Blessing of the children scene.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Seen in black and white, the park can actually look like a Biblical scene.   rayewingphoto / Atlas Obscura User
10-foot Jesus.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Looking towards the Yucca Valley.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Handless Jesus at the well.   KirstenCunningham / Atlas Obscura User
Open arms   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
Jesus speaks to the woman at the well   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
Disciples and the angel at the tomb of Christ   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
Jesus teaching   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
The ascension of Christ   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
Jesus inviting the children to come   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
Jesus with children   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
Onlookers at the Sermon on the Mount   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
The church   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
All are welcome   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
Paradise in the desert   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
The Last Supper   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
The Rock Chapel   apt3mail / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This Christian theme park near Joshua Tree is the brainchild of the late Reverend Eddie Garver, who envisioned the attraction as a light and symbol for world peace. In 1950, the US government helped Garver realize his dream and granted the "Desert Pastor" 5 acres on a desolate mount, overlooking the valley.

The first biblical statue appeared on the site in 1951 amid a wash of media attention. The previous year, Frank Antone Martin, a sculptor and poet from Inglewood, California, had been refused permission to erect his 10-foot, 5-ton plaster-and-steel-reinforced Christ statue on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Reverend Garver offered the "unwanted Christ" a home on his hillside, and Martin chose the Yucca Valley site despite several other offers. The giant Jesus travelled on the back of a truck from Los Angeles via the Desert Highway and was inaugurated on Easter Sunday.

Over the next 10 years before his death in 1961, Martin created more than 35 statues from plaster, steel and concrete, including a 3-story, 125-ton bas-relief of The Last Supper. A window was installed behind Christ's head, along with a platform for visitors to stand on and pose with the savior.

Sadly, over the years the park had fallen into disrepair. The 1992 earthquake in nearby Landers knocked off hands, feet, and heads—exposing creepy, steely skeletons. Limited funding and wanton neglect also took their toll, most noticeably on the young "Blessing of the Children" figures which were missing limbs and faces.

But fans of the park weren't merely praying for salvation. They have started the Desert Christ Foundation to restore the dusty disciples, and they have faith that their efforts will lead to the park's redemption. As of late 2019, the park is almost fully restored and the sculptures returned to their former glory. 

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KirstenCunningham

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Emily Sue, rayewingphoto, apt3mail, daisyfoxx13

  • Emily Sue
  • rayewingphoto
  • apt3mail
  • daisyfoxx13

Published

September 16, 2013

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  • http://www.desertchristpark.org/
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8992
Desert Christ Park
56200 Sunnyslope Drive
Yucca Valley, California, 92284
United States
34.12908, -116.439534
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