Iowa’s Final Freedom Rock Nearing Completion

The rock pictured above is the Freedom Rock located in Benton County, Iowa. 

Artist Ray 'Bubba' Sorenson II began the Freedom Rock project back in 2013. His goal was to place and paint a rock in each of Iowa's 99 counties according to the Des Moines Register. His goal was to represent each specific area's military history, depicting battles and paying tribute to veterans on each rock. Sorenson's original rock lays in Menlo, Iowa. He painted that back in 1999. Now, nearly 10 years after expanding his Freedom Rocks to every Iowa county, his journey is nearly done.

The Register reports that Sorenson is completing work on his final Freedom Rock in Altoona. This is a bonus rock if you will. He already has one in each of Iowa's 99 counties. This 100th rock sits just outside of Adventureland Theme Park. The final rock will tie the entire project together and will be completed by the 4th of July.

The Register reports that some of the images on this rock will include Maj. General Samuel Curtis who served in the Civil War and has ties to Des Moines, and Cap. Edward Fleur who died in World War I and is the namesake for a major Des Moines thoroughfare. So what will Sorenson do once Iowa has all 100 Freedom Rocks? Move on to the next state, of course. He has a goal of putting rocks in all 50 states.

The Linn County Freedom Rock is on display at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Central City.

The Jones County Freedom Rock is displayed in Stone City. All of these amazing displays are a must-see based on the county you live in. Sorenson deserves every honor and accolade that comes his way for this project. What an amazing way to honor our military history and veterans.