Writing Rock State Historical Site
Encyclopedia
Writing Rock State Historical Site, located twelve miles (19 km) northeast of Grenora, North Dakota
in Divide County
near the Montana
border, is the site of two large granite boulders, carved with petroglyph
s featuring thunderbirds
, mythological creatures that are of importance in the culture of Plains Indian tribes
. The age of the carvings has not been determined, but they could date from 1000 to about 1700, according to the North Dakota Historical Society.
While the meaning of many of the images is lost to history, both Sioux and Assiniboine peoples considered the site sacred. One oral tradition describes how members of a particular band could foretell the future by how the pictures on the rocks changed. According to tradition, this supernatural power vanished around 1919 when whites moved the smaller rock.
For many years, that smaller boulder was kept at the University of North Dakota
, but in 1965, it was returned to what had by then become the Writing Rock State Historic Site.
and Kamsack, Saskatchewan; Longview
and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
, Alberta; Pictograph Cave near Billings, Montana
; Dinwoody, Wyoming; Ludlow Cave, South Dakota; and at numerous archeological sites in the upper midwestern United States. Thunderbirds, mythological creatures responsible for lightning and thunder, are central to stories told by Algonquian and Siouan-speaking tribes. Many Plains Indians such as Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Gros Ventre, Crow, Dakota (Sioux) Mandan, and Hidatsa used thunderbirds in their art.
The design appears on prehistoric artifacts such as shell and bone pendants and pottery, as well as on rock art. Most of these artifacts on the northern plains date from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1700. The larger of the two granite boulders measures four and one-half feet high and four feet wide. A massive, flying bird surrounded by interconnected lines and circles covers the flattest side of the boulder. The second, smaller rock is three and one-half feet long, two feet wide, and one and one-half feet high. It displays a smaller, flying bird connected to circles and abstract lines. A second bird, which is missing its head, flies above the other designs. All of the motifs were pecked by pounding a hard rock against the boulders or were ground into the surfaces. The smaller rock was originally located some distance from the larger one and was once removed from the site but later returned.
Today, the two boulders are enclosed in a shelter and protected by iron bars at the historic site. Recreational facilities at the historic site include picnic tables in a grove of trees, picnic shelters, a building with a kitchen, fireplace, playground equipment, restrooms, and a parking lot.
It is located at 48°46′51"N 103°51′33"W
Grenora, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 202 people, 98 households, and 58 families residing in the city. The population density was 342.7 people per square mile . There were 139 housing units at an average density of 235.8 per square mile...
in Divide County
Divide County, North Dakota
-Major highways:* U.S. Highway 85* North Dakota Highway 5* North Dakota Highway 40* North Dakota Highway 42- Places of interest :Two petroglyphs are displayed at Writing Rock State Historical Site in Writing Rock Township.-Demographics:...
near the Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
border, is the site of two large granite boulders, carved with petroglyph
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
s featuring thunderbirds
Thunderbird (mythology)
The Thunderbird is a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture. It is considered a "supernatural" bird of power and strength...
, mythological creatures that are of importance in the culture of Plains Indian tribes
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
. The age of the carvings has not been determined, but they could date from 1000 to about 1700, according to the North Dakota Historical Society.
While the meaning of many of the images is lost to history, both Sioux and Assiniboine peoples considered the site sacred. One oral tradition describes how members of a particular band could foretell the future by how the pictures on the rocks changed. According to tradition, this supernatural power vanished around 1919 when whites moved the smaller rock.
For many years, that smaller boulder was kept at the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
, but in 1965, it was returned to what had by then become the Writing Rock State Historic Site.
The carvings
The design on the rocks are clearly American Indian, despite unfounded speculation attributing the origins of the “mysterious carvings” to Vikings, Chinese, or others. Similar rock art sites are found in Roche PerceeRoche Percee, Saskatchewan
-References:...
and Kamsack, Saskatchewan; Longview
Longview, Alberta
Longview is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Canadian Rockies foothills, on Cowboy Trail, 32 km west of High River and 64 km south of Calgary...
and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is located about 100 kilometres southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada or 44 kilometres east of the community of Milk River, and straddles the Milk River itself. It is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, and serves as both a...
, Alberta; Pictograph Cave near Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
; Dinwoody, Wyoming; Ludlow Cave, South Dakota; and at numerous archeological sites in the upper midwestern United States. Thunderbirds, mythological creatures responsible for lightning and thunder, are central to stories told by Algonquian and Siouan-speaking tribes. Many Plains Indians such as Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Gros Ventre, Crow, Dakota (Sioux) Mandan, and Hidatsa used thunderbirds in their art.
The design appears on prehistoric artifacts such as shell and bone pendants and pottery, as well as on rock art. Most of these artifacts on the northern plains date from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1700. The larger of the two granite boulders measures four and one-half feet high and four feet wide. A massive, flying bird surrounded by interconnected lines and circles covers the flattest side of the boulder. The second, smaller rock is three and one-half feet long, two feet wide, and one and one-half feet high. It displays a smaller, flying bird connected to circles and abstract lines. A second bird, which is missing its head, flies above the other designs. All of the motifs were pecked by pounding a hard rock against the boulders or were ground into the surfaces. The smaller rock was originally located some distance from the larger one and was once removed from the site but later returned.
Today, the two boulders are enclosed in a shelter and protected by iron bars at the historic site. Recreational facilities at the historic site include picnic tables in a grove of trees, picnic shelters, a building with a kitchen, fireplace, playground equipment, restrooms, and a parking lot.
It is located at 48°46′51"N 103°51′33"W