Pipestone Creek

Pipestone Creek. . Over time, this creek's seasonal floods uncovered the rare pipestone layer. Later, rutted trails made by buffalo herds drinking from the stream may have further revealed the pipestone. Oral tradition suggests that Indians first discovered the easily-crafted stone near this creek., The Iowa and Oto people - and many other American Indians from the Northern Plains - quarried the exposed stone. Many traveled hundreds of miles to this quarry. They considered these quarries sacred. According to some accounts, warring tribes stopped fighting when entering these neutral grounds. , Photo Captions , Pipestone Creek and the quartzite ledge (below), as sketched by artist George Catlin while visiting here in 1836. , This creek once meandered through a vast prairie (right). In the past century, the vegetation of the area has changed greatly.