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The Freedom Rock is a large boulder in rural Adair County, Iowa, where artist Ray 'Bubba' Sorensen II painted the first of his patriotic veterans' tributes in 1999. The artist's website says it is repainted every year with a different thank-you to veterans and describes it as an approximately 60-ton boulder. The website says there is now a Freedom Rock in every one of Iowa's 99 counties.
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Freedom Rock
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Approximate location · 41.434° N, 94.548° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
Every year, by Memorial Day, a boulder in rural Iowa gets a new painting as a thank-you to the nation's veterans.
The Freedom Rock's own website says the rock was established in 1999 and weighs approximately 60 tons, and that it is repainted every year with a different "Thank You for our nations Veterans". The artist is Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II. The site says he was inspired by the film Saving Private Ryan, paints it himself with help from family and friends, is not commissioned, and is funded by donations and merchandise sales. Western Iowa Today says he painted the original in Adair County in 1999. TravelIowa lists it at 1199 Highway 25, Greenfield, and says he paints a new patriotic theme each year by Memorial Day. A May 2026 blog instead places it on Highway 25 near Menlo and calls it a 12-foot-tall boulder, so the sources differ on the nearest town.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
The rock sits on private property at a quarry site, painted with permission and under constant surveillance, according to the Freedom Rock's own site. Admission, hours and access terms are not published; check with the organisation before visiting.
ACCESS
Adair County, Iowa, near Greenfield, along Iowa Highway 25 south of I-80 exit 86; Roadside America gives about 1.5 miles. The site is private property.
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