Located on the eastern shore of Lake Peigneur atop a salt dome are Rip Van Winkle Gardens and the Joseph Jefferson House. The magnificent house is set on 25 acres of garden landscape.

Also on the site is a bed and breakfast located behind the Joseph Jefferson house.

For more information on Rip Van Winkle Gardens, see their website:
http://www.ripvanwinklegardens.com/

In 1980, there was a disaster of epic proportions when a drilling rig penetrated the cavern of the below ground salt mine resulting in the lake being sucked down into the mine. A lot of the gardens and the residence of the owner were lost in this disaster.

For more information on this event see: http://geology.wcedu.pima.edu/~acook/island.html