Mollie Nelson was born in 1890, the daughter of a Norwegian farmer. She inherited her father's farm near
River Falls, and lived there until 1959. She married Obert Jenson in 1911, and was the mother of six children. Her early artwork consisted of traditional craft items, including
hooked rugs,
quilts, paintings,
horn furniture, and
wood carvings. Jenson completed her first outdoor sculpture, the ten-foot tall
Dutch Windmill, in 1940. The
Windmill was constructed of
concrete embellished with tile
mosaics, topped with electric lights and a
blackface lawn jockey. Jenson’s 1941
Fireplace began as an outdoor
hearth made of
concrete,
limestone, and
ceramic pieces. Through continual additions, she expanded the structure into a cavern-like, elaborately decorated covered patio. Her last large-scale work was the
Horseshoe, a diorama inspired by the Patriotism Shrine at nearby
Dickeyville Grotto. The
Horseshoe consisted of a semi-circular stone wall, decorated with curving concrete spires and deer
antlers. From 1938 to 1959, Jenson also operated a
roadside zoo featuring 150 animals, including monkeys, peacocks, a lion, and a retired
circus bear. Following Jenson’s death, family members concerned with the safety of the structures demolished all but the
Dutch Windmill. ==See also==