Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota, Quartzite Cliffs
The tallgrass prairie of Southwest Minnesota is broken by outcrops of quartzite. In an area near Pipestone, Minnesota, embedded in the quartzite are veins of relatively soft layers of petrified clay. For centuries before the arrival of European Americans the reddish softer rock was quarried by local indigenous people to carve ceremonial pipes and other sacred objects. These object were traded with other tribal groups. As European American settlement expanded into the area, the Yankton Sioux secured free and unrestricted access to the quarry area through treaty. However, non tribal groups were digging in the area because many tribal people were forced to reservations. In 1937, Congress established Pipestone National Monument to protect the resource and provide traditional quarrying for native people.
Pipestone National Monument is on the National Register of Historic Place and is a National Historic Landmark.
Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota, Quartzite Cliffs
The tallgrass prairie of Southwest Minnesota is broken by outcrops of quartzite. In an area near Pipestone, Minnesota, embedded in the quartzite are veins of relatively soft layers of petrified clay. For centuries before the arrival of European Americans the reddish softer rock was quarried by local indigenous people to carve ceremonial pipes and other sacred objects. These object were traded with other tribal groups. As European American settlement expanded into the area, the Yankton Sioux secured free and unrestricted access to the quarry area through treaty. However, non tribal groups were digging in the area because many tribal people were forced to reservations. In 1937, Congress established Pipestone National Monument to protect the resource and provide traditional quarrying for native people.
Pipestone National Monument is on the National Register of Historic Place and is a National Historic Landmark.