We wanted to create a meeting house on our land. When we thought about different designs, we were drawn to the yurt and the work of Bill Coperthwaite, the "father" of modern yurt building in America.

We contacted Bill and he agreed to help us design and build our yurt. After months of planning, Bill came to Blooming Valley in the autumn of 2007 to lead 16 people through the design and building of our Yurt. Eleven days later, we put the last of the cedar shingles onto the roof.

The Yurt is a 300 square foot, permanent structure that sits by itself on a short path from the retreat house at Blooming Valley. It is made mostly of local wood and features tapered walls.

We thank Bill Coperthwaite for giving us his time, his passion, and his experience in designing and building one of West Michigan's first yurts. And, we thank all of the people who shared the planning, long hours, laughter, sweat and sore muscles to create this magical space.

Click below to view photos of how the Yurt was built at
Blooming Valley Retreat!