Pipestone National Monument - Pipestone Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument is home of the historic pipestone quarries and tallgrass prairies. For over 3,000 years, Indigenous people have quarried the red stone at this site to make pipes used in prayer and ceremony - a tradition that continues to this day and makes this site sacred to many people. Many believe  the pipe's smoke carries one's prayer to the Great Spirit.

Pipestone National Monument was established in August 1937 and is located in southwestern Minnesota. The monument encompasses 301 acres or 1.2 square kilometers. Pipestone NM protects the right of any Native American enrolled in a federally recognized Tribe to quarry the soft red stone also called pipestone. 

Along the entrance road to the park are large granite boulders known as the Three Maidens. These rocks were carrier here from further north by a glacier and left behind when the ice melted. They are called erratics. These boulders are considered sacred by Native Indians.

The visitor center is always a great place to start a tour,  Pipestone National Monument is no different. The amazing 22 minute film explained the cultural significance of this land.

Within the visitors center are great displays of petroglyphs and pipestone pipes.

The Circle Trail is a 3/4-mile long paved path. It cuts through a Tallgrass Prairie, follows a creek, meanders past a waterfall, and finally traverses ancient quarries still used by Native Americans today. The first stop is the exhibit quarry where the layers of Sioux Quartzite and a layer of exposed pipestone are visible.

Tailings from quarries past

Below is "The Oracle" a profile of a face in the rocks surrounded by cottonwood trees. The story told is of quarriers leaving offerings in exchange for wisdom. It remains a sacred site today. 

A crevasse filled with rock

Winnewissa Falls

In downtown Pipestone the worlds largest pipestone pipe is on display at the historical center.

Pikes Peak SP & Effigy Mounds National Monument - McGregor Iowa

  

Atop a 500 foot bluff (1,130 foot elevation) is a breathtaking view and the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. Pikes Peak SP is named after Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, whom was sent by the government in 1805 to select a site for a military fort. Pike chose this site but the government built the fort across the river. Pikes Peak officially became a state park in 1936.

A half-mile wooden boardwalk guides one down to Bridal Veil Falls. On the way to the fall, there is a Bear Mound on the left side. This effigy was built by ancient American Indians of the Woodland Culture, who inhabited the area from 800-1200 A.D. There are 63 mounds in the park, most of them conical or linear in shape. More on this later

Our campsite with W/E/S

Confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers

Bridal Veil Falls

Effigy Mounds National Monument was established as a National Monument in October 1949. Located at the park entrance, the visitors center contains museum exhibits and a book store. The park has 14 miles of hiking trails. There are no paved public access roads in the park.

Effigy Mounds National Monument contains 206 known prehistoric mounds of which 31 are in the form of animal effigies. Others include conical, linear, or compound mounds. Dome shaped conical mounds were built by the Woodland Indians about 2,500 years ago. By 1,400 years ago in the Late Woodland period area Indians built effigy mounds for possibly religious reasons or clan symbols. Around 850 years ago the building of effigy mounds ceased maybe due to the transitioning into larger permanent villages.

Three conical mounds

Bear Mound located in Pikes Peak SP