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Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site  This quote is from a Lakota creation story. Inyan means "rock", and Wakan Tanka means "the Great Mystery". For literally thousands of years, the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site has been an important place for the people who lived here. Before the pyramids were built, before the first stone was erected at Stonehenge, there were carvings in the rock. Long after those first petroglyphs, this was a holy site to the native people who lived in and around this area -- the Iowa, Oto, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, and Ojibwe. The carvings weren't discovered by European settlers until the 1870s, but since then it has been visited many times by scientists, archeologists, anthropologists, and curious visitors. Several books and articles have been written about the petroglyphs, and in 1966 the Minnesota Historical Society bought the property from W.H. Jeffers to preserve the petroglyphs for future generations. Far from being a place with all its glory in the past, however, the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site remains a living holy place. Native Americans still come to visit and pray at the site, and visitors are often touched by the peacefulness and power of the place. The staff works closely with Native American elders to make sure that the site is treated with respect and reverence, and we hope you can feel that during your visit. A Guided Tour of the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site screensaver! (3.3 mb) A self-extracting screensaver to show you around and show you what we have to offer at the Petroglyphs. Simply save it to your desktop and click on it to install. Latitude/Longitude of the Site: 44° 05' 30"N Comments about the Website Comments about the Historic Site |
