INTEREST FORM: Dry Stone Course with Stonemaster Jim Sullivan

Please indicate your interest by filling out this form. 12 people will eventually be selected and admitted to the class. Learners of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, with priority given to local students who plan on continuing to use masonry skills in their own personal or professional futures.

Upon admission, there will be a $100 class fee.  This is not a registration form, rather an interest form.

 We will reach out to interested parties this spring with a private registration link. 

Read on for class description and instructor bios:

Monday - Wednesday, August 18th - 20th, 2025
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Lunch Included During Class Days
Camping available on site (full meals included for this option)

Learn how to work with stone by building dry stone walls and rock pathways without mortar. You'll get hands-on experience in the art and skill of stone wall and pathway construction: selecting native stones, placing stones, aesthetic and structural considerations, choice of tools and materials. Help build something that will last virtually forever.

In Will Steger's Words: Responsible, lasting construction skills draw from Ely’s natural surroundings. Greenstone areas around Ely make up some of the oldest known bedrock on Earth. In partnership with the Ely Folk School, a select group of craftspeople will learn stonemason skills that will continue the Steger Center’s legacy of using natural, local resources to blend exquisitely into its northern Minnesota surroundings. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) contains four elements: sky, water, forest, and the Canadian Shield. The Steger Center, which borders the BWCA on three sides, is built on Ely Greenstone, some of the oldest exposed bedrock in the world. It was first formed 2.2 billion years ago as silt at the bottom of a warm shallow ocean. Through the process of plate tectonics this region was heaved up into a mountain range the size of the Rockies that over time was eroded down to its elevation of 1500 feet. In recent geological time numerous glacial epochs scoured the surface to form the numerous lakes of the boreal forests. Stone has always been a mainstay in the construction at the Center and its surrounding campus. In 1965 I first mixed sand and cement (which I canoed and portaged in) to build a stone fireplace for my cabin. Later I built a stone root cellar from sand and cement that I dogsledded in. The simple process of stone-building is what drew me as much as the permanence of the final product. During the crossing of Antarctica I journaled about working silently under the hot sun, the feel of the rock in my hands, the smell of rock and water in the dry heat, the sweet sounds of birds conversing with each other. Stone-building is a Zen practice. It is the definition of being in the moment. Decades ago I knew that I would need stonemasons to build the Center. All dreams start with intention, so I held that intention and waited year after year. Then I heard about a dry stonemason named Jim Sullivan. We met and had a lot in common. Like me, he graduated from the University of St Thomas majoring in geology and studied under Jack Brownstein. Jim and I both struggled with our grades, and it was Jack’s counsel that got us through to graduation. Like all the tradespeople who work at the Center, Jim is an excellent teacher. We started together on our first course 18 years ago. Jim’s brother Tim and his son-in-law Ian are also great masons and have joined us over the years. The stonework that has been produced by masters and their apprentices is simply amazing. I am very proud that a number of our students are stonemasons today and many more have built their own walls and foundations.

No experience is necessary! For students over 18, one should be able to lift at least 30 pounds and be able to be on their feet for a couple hours at a time. The Steger Center is not yet fully wheelchair accessible.

About your Instructor: Jim Sullivan, owner of Sullivan Stoneworks has been working with stone since 1984 and has taught courses in partnership with the Steger Center for over 20 years.