Sterling Tree Sculptures

Sterling grew up in the 1880s as a railroad and ranching town on the South Platte, and like most plains towns it planted shade trees along its streets and in its parks, many of them elms. By the late twentieth century disease and age were killing them, and big trees across town were marked to come down. City officials went to Bradford Rhea, a young wood carver from nearby Merino who was just becoming known, with an idea: instead of cutting the trunks to the ground, carve them where they stood.

It took Rhea about a decade to finish the first set, carved from the standing trunks of elms and cottonwoods into figures, animals and fanciful creatures, and the work became the town's identity. The best known is Skygrazers, a bronzed elm dedicated to the city in 1984 and standing near Columbine Park. Others include Windlace, dedicated in 1987 to the courage and grace of women, a golfer carved near a tee at the country club, and a colonial guardsman in bronze at Pioneer Park. Rhea has since worked in bronze and marble too, carving one piece from a 30,000-pound block of Yule marble.

About seventeen of his public works stand within walking and short driving distance of each other across town, from the visitor center at the Interstate 76 rest area to Northeastern Junior College. A map for a self-guided tour is available at the visitor center; some pieces stand inside public buildings, so weekdays during business hours are the best time to see them all.