'Eddgar and Benn'

Eddgar and Benn eames demetrios ( 2014 eames demetrios)

If you are on the western side of Utah on Route 30, you may see a sign for Watercress, and then you can pull off down towards the lake bed.

First of all, this place is inaccessible to passenger cars. Four-wheel drive required. With all Kcymaerxthaere and Atlas Obscura adventures, you need to proceed with caution, at your own risk and use your best judgement, but especially here. Also, bring water.

A plaque at this site tells the story of the doomed adolescent boys Eddgar and Benn, whose story likely inspired Velkristan’s epic poem, The Willamenta, were captured by a party of Dalles sent by Benn’s father. The poem’s author, Wtib Tstetrat, the bard of medieval Velkristan, was likely a distant relative who would have been brought to this far spot (or malad) at least twice by the women of his family. Most historians now believe the lovers never exchanged anything more than a long embrace before their cruel deaths.

The plaque is part of Kcymaerxthaere, an art project created by Eames Demetrios. It’s one in a series of plaques and other markers around the world that honor events from a parallel universe that, according to Demetrios, “co-exists to some degree with ours.” Most of these installations are bronze or stone plaques inscribed with stories but some are larger, even entire buildings. As of 2021, there are more than 140 sites spread across six continents and 30 countries.

Know Before You Go

We hope to have more detailed access soon. But essentially it is a bit east of Terrace Mountain, but still on the flat white salt plains of the Great Salt Lake Desert. BRING WATER BRING PLENTY OF WATER There is a little place called Watercress, which is just a historical marker off Highway 30. That's where we found a road to the salt flats and then headed east once we got on the Salt Flats, hugging the northern edge of it. You visit there at your own risk!!!!

An alternate route is to go to Zaqistan from the old railroad grade road. From Zaqistan, you can take a faint road south through Zaqistan into the Salt Flats. At the start of the Salt Flats is a tall white obelisk dedicated to Zaqistan, from there, you can see another obelisk to the southwest, this marks the Edgar and Benn site. You can use the Zaqistan obelisk as a landmark to return. You can alternatively walk from Zaqistan as well as it is just over one mile and there's something surreal about walking in the Salt Flats with zero signs of civilization besides a couple of random obelisks.