Why Are There Two 9-Ton Easter Island Heads In Rock Springs, Wyoming?

There’s a reason Wyoming is called the Cowboy State. It’s synonymous with the American Old West where outlaws hole up and buffalo roam the landscapes.

So it’s more than a little head-turning to see a pair of giant 9-ton stone Moai statues on the campus of Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, summoning images of the famous stone heads of Easter Island, about 4,750 miles due south.

They loom like ancient guardians over the campus.

“When you see those heads, they’re Easter Island heads. You think, ‘What are they doing here? They should be on Easter Island — not in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than the tumbleweeds, the bison and the wind,’” said Kyra Holmes, a WWCC freshman from Green River. “It’s weird.”

West Meets … Really Far South

The Moai statues, iconic symbols of Easter Island's enigmatic past, have intrigued historians and archaeologists for centuries.

One of those archaeologists who fell in love with Easter Island and its statues is Charlie Love, a former WWCC professor who spent many years on the island doing research. That’s where the ancient culture and artifacts endeared him, and he replicated those artifacts in southwest Wyoming.

Love was not available for an interview with Cowboy State Daily, but has lectured and spoken often about the Moai statues and their ability to evoke a profound sense of humility.

“Walking beneath the gaze of those impressive statues, there are moments when you feel remarkably insignificant," he said during a previous interview. “You can’t walk underneath the gaze of those impressive statues without sometimes feeling very, very small indeed.”

Carved from compressed volcanic ash in the Rano Raraku quarry 10 miles from the designated ahu, or pedestal, these colossal figures held profound significance in the spiritual practices of the ancient Rapa Nui civilization.

On campus in Wyoming, students today may not know the history of the Moai statues, which are an homage to their counterparts on Easter Island. Despite their notable presence, most people rarely give them a second thought, simply acknowledging they’re there, where they’ve been for more than 35 years.

“They’ve just always been there,” Holmes said. “I used to come up here with my dad and they were here, but I really have no idea why.”

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A Local Artist Built Them

The story behind the college statues date back to 1987 when local artist, Gregory Gaylor, crafted the Moai for Love, who was then a professor at the college.

Employing the precise dimensions and proportions of original statues on Easter Island, Gaylor created the 9-ton replicas for Love to conduct a science experiment. Even thousands of miles away from the island, he was still passionate to continue his research.

One stands about 5-6 feet tall and the other about 8-10 feet.

“Charlie had a theory about how the statues were moved on the island and he had the statues made so he could try and prove his theory,” said Dudley Gardner, former professor at WWCC and Love’s colleague.

The mystery of how the islanders transported these massive stone statues, some weighing up to 82 tons, from the quarry to the ceremonial platforms remains a subject of scholarly debate.

Proposed theories on how this could have been done have range from the use of ropes, sledges and a rocking motion to an ingenious walking technique.

The Rapanui people of Easter Island, however, say the statues were moved by a chief or priest with supernatural power, or mana, that could help them to “walk’ to their designated locations.

One of a pair of giant 9-ton Moai statues on the campus of Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs. They were built in 1987 but, like the Easter Island heads they resemble, why they're there is a mystery. (Tracie Sullivan, Cowboy State Daily)

The Big Experiment

Love, who spent a year on Easter Island as an anthropologist and geologist studying under renowned anthropologists Thor Heyerdahl and William Mulloy, aimed to test his own theory using ropes, sledges and manpower.

His team initially attempted to move the standing statue forward by pulling it side to side with ropes tied around its forehead, akin to walking a refrigerator forward.

This approach proved challenging, with the statue toppling and the front base chipping after moving it only a few hundred feet.

Undeterred, Love tried again. This time he used sled runners and log rollers, allowing 25 men to move the statue 150 feet in just two minutes.

Love's theory dominated academic discourse for years and was considered a plausible explanation for how the Rapanui people transported the statues. However, recent experiments have emerged forwarding alternative perspectives.

“It’s called the Charlie Love Theory,” Gardner said. “Some people didn’t agree with him and others did. But the Rapanui people of Easter Island really respected Charlie and even recognized his work as an anthropologist.”

Silent Watchers

While the Wyoming Moai have stood on the campus for three decades, their original purpose has been lost to time. Like their counterparts on Easter Island, these statues observe their surroundings with an air of mystery.

Their origin may be fading from the collective memory, but still the Wyoming Moai stand stoically - a touch of enigma in the practical West.