Located 32 km West of Revelstoke, July 12, 1961 History: Doris Needham was an artist in Revelstoke, B.C. during the 1950s. She made unusual fairy tale figurines from cement by shaping her creations by hand, without the use of molds or forms. Desiring to find the perfect setting for her handiwork, she searched for two years and finally chose this unique but isolated location between Sicamous and Revelstoke, British Columbia. This endeavour turned into a retirement project, which Doris and her husband Ernest named their "Enchanted Forest". During the next 10 years, they developed eight of the forest's 40 acres, and purchased the property originally leased from the Crown. The trails were cleared by hand, their only tools being shovels, picks and a crosscut saw. With a labour of love Ernest built the "Candy Cane" house in which they lived and constructed the rock walls along the property. Utilizing the waterfall across the highway, a gravity water system was installed that is still in use today. On July 1st, 1960 The Enchanted Forest officially opened to the public. That first summer, the only buildings were the giant mushroom and a 12 x 18 shack.
