Cutter Standing Tall in Stone

WAITE PARK, Minn. – A larger than life image of a stonecutter – set in granite, naturally – will grace a local park later this year.
The Stearns County Parks Department will erect a 7’-tall monument depicting a quarry worker at the parking lot of the Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, according to the St. Cloud Times.
The stone to be used is an 8000-lbs. slab of St. Cloud red granite taken from within the park. Monumental Sales Inc. in St. Cloud, Minn., will sandblast the image and help place the monument.
Peter Wocken, a student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, designed the image, which shows a stonecutter attempting to split a slab of stone with a sledgehammer and drill bit. The artwork also includes background quarry ledges with piles of waste rock and a derrick.
The 643-acre park/preserve, with an extensive trail system encompasses an area with 30 granite quarries. Stearns County bought the property from Cold Spring Granite Co. and opened it to the public in 1998.