Pipestone in Pipestone County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Connection to the Earth Mother
It's very spiritual. Your own personal connection to the earth mother, to the quartzite, to the pipestone rock…The benefit of it all is you get a sense of oneness with everything here."
Travis Erickson, quarrier
You are looking at piles of Sioux Quartzite rubble removed from quarries by American Indians seeking sacred pipestone. Three thousand years ago American Indians used stone tools to remove pipestone found near the surface.
Today quarriers use sledgehammers, steel wedges, and wheelbarrows to remove the hard quartzite rock found in quarries up to 15 feet deep. The hard physical labor of the past is much the same as the labor today - although the tools have improved, all the work is done by hand.
Erected by Pipestone National Monument, National Park Service, & US Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Industry & Commerce • Native Americans.
Location. 44° 0.813′ N, 96° 19.559′ W. Marker is in Pipestone, Minnesota, in Pipestone County. Marker is on Reservation Ave near 87 Reservation Ave. Located near the Pipestone National Monument Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pipestone MN 56164, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Pipestone Pilgrimage (a few steps from this marker); Sustaining the Sacred (a few steps from this marker); Quarry Layers (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Spotted Pipestone Quarry (about 500 feet away); Pipestone Creek (about 700 feet away); Prairie: Past and Present (approx. 0.2 miles away); The J.N. Nicollet Expedition Of 1838 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Nicollet's Inscription (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pipestone.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Pipestone National Monument. (Submitted on June 22, 2018, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2018, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 192 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 22, 2018, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.