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sive on its scale," Ludwig said. • Porter was born in 1959 in St. Lawrence, S.D., and learned to weld in his father's blacksmith shop. He created his first piece of art, a bronze metal horse, at the age of 12. After earning degrees in political science and history from South Dakota State University, he returned to the town of less than 200 to become a sheep rancher and help Dad in the shop. • Porter passed the nighttime hours by creating sculptures, many of which found display spots around town. An oversized pink metal rocking horse was a favorite of tipsy residents exiting the local bars. • "Two o'clock in the morning, people would just have a ball on it," he said. • At some point, buses started arriving with people wanting to pay to view Porter's creations. • "I said, no, no, it's right on Main Street. You don't have to pay me," he recalled. "They said we're paying you."
(Continued on page 24)
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