A Sacred Place

(June 29, 2018) – Pipestone, Minnesota

Friday, I made an overdue trip to Pipestone National Monument. I drove the sixty miles off the beaten path to the historic site just outside the City of Pipestone, Minnesota near the South Dakota border.

The quarry has a deep-rooted history and my visit gave me greater insight into Native American religion and culture.

Managed by the National Parks Service the two hundred plus acres quarry grounds are well maintained and visitor friendly. The Monument has several service and headquarters buildings for staff and maintenance functions. The federal officials also oversee the quarrying of the pipestone by Native Americans.

My visit started at the Visitor Center. I am not sure why, but admission fees were temporarily suspended. The Park Ranger on duty at the welcome desk said during the summer tourist season they have two hundred to three hundred visitors daily.

First stop was a perfunctory yet informative introductory film, “Pipestone, An Unbroken Legacy.” The Center also had very informative exhibits on the site’s history, Native American culture, and the geology surrounding the unique red stone. The exhibits while educational, are worn out. They desperately need updating.

Pipestone is the unique rock found sandwiched between layers of Sioux Quartzite. The vein of pipestone found at the National Monument is very pure and red in appearance. Pipestone is a softer material than the very hard and sturdy Sioux Quartzite. I was delighted to learn the geologic name of pipestone is Catlinite. Catlinite is named for one of my faves, American Artist George Catlin. Catlin who traveled to and explored the Native American site in 1835 was fascinated with the different rock and gathered samples. Catlin sent them to natural historians for classification and study. Catlin was one of the early artists who painted Native Americans in their natural state before the arrival of American expansionists.

For several centuries prior to becoming American territory in 1803 (a result of the Louisiana Purchase from France) the pipestone deposits were holy grounds for bands and tribes of midwestern Native Americans. The red ground is believed sourced in blood. The pipes fashioned from the holy red stone were used in their religious ceremonies. Each year Chiefs and elders returned to the site to obtain the solemn material for their rituals.

In 1858 in the Treaty with the Yankton Sioux, the U S Government took possession of the site, but all Native Americans were promised the exclusive right to the pipestone. Native Americans were furthered guaranteed access to the pipestone under the Religious Freedoms Act passed by Congress. These promises have been honored.

I don’t connect with nature very often but ventured outside to explore the site and see the quarry. Thankfully while it was warm (93 degrees) it was also breezy (15 – 20 mph.) The breeze kept me cool and kept the insects away. The thirty minutes three quarters of a mile hike was worth it. Overabundant recent rains made everything green. The grasses and wildflowers were beautiful. Pipestone Creek was full and the Winnewissa Falls waterfall rapid. Several of the rock formation were enchanting.

Before my departure, I checked out the gift shop and could not get too excited. There were two Native American craftsmen in a makeshift studio adjacent to the gift shop who were crafting pipestone artifacts for sale. They were very willing to stop and chat with the tourists.

I enjoyed my Friday afternoon getaway and would recommend it if you have the time and are off the beaten path.

End bar – Pipestone was referenced by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in “The Song of Hiawatha.”

On the Mountains of the Prairie,
On the great Red Pipe-stone Quarry,
Gitche Manito, the mighty,
He the Master of Life, descending,
On the red crags of the quarry
Stood erect, and called the nations,
Called the tribes of men together.