Leonard Knight: Before Salvation Mountain and More| Nebraska Stories | Nebraska Public Media

Leonard Knight: Before Salvation Mountain Leonard Knight was on his way to the west coast in the mid-1980s when his van broke down on Interstate 80 near Shelton. He intended to stay for three hours, but his impromptu visit lasted three years. Members of the rural community adopted the soft-spoken man and helped him realize his dream of sewing a multi-colored hot air balloon to spread his message of faith. But, it would be in the California desert where Leonard Knight would spend 14 years of his life creating his visionary work known as Salvation Mountain. Feeding the Soul A portrait of Shahab Bashar, a Yazidi refugee from Iraq who helps his fellow immigrants and refugees from Iraq and other mostly Arabic countries adjust to life in the US. Part of the adaptation is built around maintaining ties to the rich culture they left behind while embracing new, more American traditions. Food is a cultural touchstone to their homeland… with a direct connection between the soul and the soil. Libraries of Stone There are at least 3500 rural burial grounds across the state and less than half are registered on Nebraska’s Cemetery Registry. Learn what preservationists and local citizens are doing to keep Nebraska’s pioneer rural cemeteries from disappearing.