This impossible castle sits atop a bedrock ridge overlooking the largely private Picketts Lake in the heart of Steger Wilderness—1,000 or so forested acres at the end of the road, literally. It was all dreamed up by Will Steger on an expedition when he was traveling across the Antarctic plateau for nearly five months. “I put it together in my head in Antarctica. I was traveling for 227 days, and we were on the plateau for 2700 miles, with nothing around us. The challenge was: what do you do with your head? So I went into this design space in my mind. And came up with this. A place for people to come together and quiet their minds to solve seemingly unsolvable problems, which have a larger share of now than when I dreamed this up.” On our tour of the property with Will, we paused in an atrium with exposed bedrock and a stream bed running right through the floor, and he explained his approach to building the homestead and castle: “We build always with the apprentice-master model. You have someone teaching you. You learn, but there’s also an exchange of culture and values. It’s the best form of education,
Instructors Ian and Aurora discuss stone building in front of the Steger Center. Above: The original sketch from Antarctica. Below: Will Steger talks light & shadow. Background: Antarctic expedition photo by Will Steger.
hands-on with other people. You’re mastering the craft — or teaching the craft — but you’re also learning about life through another human being.”
ELY, MN ARTS & CULTURE JOURNAL
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