![The?Thunder Mountain Monument?is a series ofoutsider art?sculptures and architectural forms which were assembled by Frank Van Zant starting in 1969 upon his arrival in?Imlay, Nevada; it is located on a shoulder of?I-80. A WWII veteran from Oklahoma, Frank Van Zant had served with the?7th Armoured Division,[1]?fighting in several campaigns, and been badly burned in a tank battle outside ofLeipzig, Germany.[2]?A self-identified?Creek Indian,[3]he took the?Native American?name Rolling Mountain Thunder after experiencing an?epiphany, and took on the twin but related tasks of both building shelters from the presumed coming apocalypse, and making a?de facto?spiritual haven for spiritual seekers of the?hippie?era. (There is no Thunder Mountain in the vicinity.)The site contains three stone and cement buildings and over 200 cement sculptures variously depicting Native Americans and their protective spirits, massacres, and purported injustices. Thunder Mountain Monument (or Park) is replete with found objects (such as, but not limited to, car hoods, dolls' heads, typewriters, and gas pumps), many of which are incorporated into the buildings themselves; one framework forms a large handle so the Great Spirit could take the building away after Thunder's death.He was long subjected to harassment by the local townspeople, and his site was partially destroyed by arson in 1983, the same year he was named Nevada's Artist of the Year; a heavy cigarette smoker, Rolling Mountain Thunder committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in 1989. His uniquely wrought environment was neglected and subject to vandalism until it was declared a Nevada State Historic Site in the 1990s; it is now under the care of his grown children under the aegis of a State of Nevada Historic Site Restoration Project, and is partially open to the public for self-guided tours.[4]Frank Van Zant has been the subject of two short documentaries.[5] Wikipedia](https://images.trvl-media.com/place/6053763/47a95973-a5b1-4b92-92ff-98f511d0bbd0.jpg?impolicy=fcrop&w=1200&h=500&q=medium)
Photo by Rock Angel
Search Imlay hotels
Change your mind
Book hotels with free cancellation
Be picky
Search almost a million properties worldwide
Check prices for these dates
Top hotels and accommodation in Imlay
Save an average of 15% on thousands of hotels when you're signed in
Learn more about Imlay
Imlay awaits: its desert views, sunsets, dining and more!
Photo by Ann Sair
Open Photo by Ann Sair
More cheap accommodation in Imlay
More cheap accommodation in Imlay
Virgin River Hotel and Casino
100 E. Pioneer Blvd, Mesquite, NV
The price is NZ$80 per night from 26 Oct to 27 Oct
NZ$80
26 Oct - 27 Oct
includes taxes & fees
8.2/10 Very Good! (7,935 reviews)
