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Weighing in at a whopping 135 pounds and measuring five feet, six inches in height, Milton was an unlikely candidate for a second shift as a stonemason. But what he lacked in bulk and experience he made up for in sheer perseverance and the pleasure of creation. Actually, it all began in failure. Around 1959, he tried his hand at putting a decorative lake in his hillside back yard and loathed the result. To draw attention from it, he built a few miniature mountains. From then on, there was no looking back. The corn patch was replaced with an entire snowcapped mountain range complete with roads, an airstrip and ornate waterworks. The Irish moss and blackberry vines that once covered the yard gradually made way over the years for an interwoven arrangement of fanciful fountains, walkways, seats, planters and arbors, all built without written plans. |
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Maybe Milton Walker had a curious itch of his own to satisfy. “Mom said that Dad loved to dress up as a tourist and wander incognito among the visitors,” says his daughter. When asked what he hoped to hear, she replied, “I don’t think he ever heard anything bad. He always had a smile on his face at the end of the day.” The Walker Rock Garden is open from June through Labor Day. The family happily continues the tradition of sharing the garden, but prefers visitors to phone for reservations. The number may be found under Walker Rock Garden in the residential listings of the Seattle phone book. |
