Near Eastedge in Ransom County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Standing Rock ⎯⎯⎯ Wonderful Wetlands
Photographed by Connor Olson, June 13, 2021
1. Standing Rock/Wonderful Wetlands Marker
Inscription.
Standing Rock, also, Wonderful Wetlands. .
Standing Rock. Standing Rock, a sacred site to the Native people of this region, is called "Inyan Bosndata" in the Santee language.
The rock itself is what geologists call metamorphic gneiss (pronounced "nice"), a combination of quartz, feldspar, and mica. It was transported here from Ontario, Canada by a glacier over 14,000 years ago during the Wisconsinan Ice Age. At that time, North Dakota was almost completely covered with glacial ice.
This immense ice field, thousands of feet the glacier's edge where the pressure is less thick in places, was a mighty force that inflicted tremendous changes on the surrounding landscape.
The entire hill beneath Standing Rock, for example, is actually part of the Niobrara Shale Formation. Glacial ice pushed the earth three miles from the northeast to form this hill, leaving a cluster of lakes and sloughs in its place. Geologists call this type of glacial landform a "thrust moraine." You can look down to the northeast and see one of the lakes.
Wonderful Wetlands. Standing Rock lies in the heart of the "Prairie Potholes," a region of wetlands that were created when glaciers advanced and retreated across the Dakotas, Montana, and Iowa, as well as the prairie provinces of Canada. Whether a wetland is seasonal or year round, it is important, to wildlife and to us!
Wetlands provide ecological and economic benefits to the community. One of the most important benefits is in filtering run-off and maintaining water quality. Wetland vegetation helps prevent heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins from entering our drinking water sources. Wetlands also provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife.
Captions: Standing Rock stands four feet tall on top of a glacial thrust moraine. An immense ice field once covered all of Canada and parts of the United States. 1) Water beneath the glacier is forced into the permeable ground layer. The water, under great pressure from the weight of the ice above, moves toward This immense ice field, thousands of feet the glacier's edge where the pressure is less. 2) If water reaches an area where the permeable layer is weak, it may force these materials up into the path of the advancing glacier. 3) The block of shale which formed this hill was pushed three miles from the northeast by the advancing glacier. When the glacier receded, a lake formed in the depression left behind. French scientist and explorer Joseph Nicoller provided the first written account of Standing Rock in 1839. Nicollet and his assistant John C Fremont were mapping the country west of the Mississippi River, Nicollet included Standing Rock as a landmark on his map. North Dakota contains more prairie wetlands and produces more ducks than any other state in the contiguous United States. Wetland areas provide recreational benefits for sportsmen, bird watchers, and photographers alike. Wetlands are home to nearly half of all wildlife species found on the Northern Great Plains. They provide nesting sites for waterfowl, protection for deer, and are homes to other water-loving mammals like muskrat and mink. The "potholes" were formed nearly ten thousand years ago, when retreating glaciers of the last Great Ice Age left behind a landscape dotted with low hills and ponds. Wetland basins provide natural flood control by storing spring run-off and water from heavy rainfalls--the water slowly sinks into the ground water or evaporates into the air.
Standing Rock
Standing Rock, a sacred site to the Native people of this region, is called "Inyan Bosndata" in the Santee language.
The rock itself is what geologists call
metamorphic gneiss (pronounced
"nice")a combination of quartz,
feldspar, and mica. It was transported
here from Ontario, Canada by a glacier
over 14,000 years ago during the
Wisconsinan Ice Age. At that time, North
Dakota was almost completely covered
with glacial ice.
This immense ice field, thousands of feet
the glacier's edge where the pressure is less
thick in places, was a mighty force that
inflicted tremendous changes on the
surrounding landscape.
The entire hill beneath Standing Rock, for
example, is actually part of the Niobrara
Shale Formation. Glacial ice pushed the
earth three miles from the northeast to
form this hillleaving a cluster of lakes
and sloughs in its place. Geologists call
this type of glacial landform a "thrust
moraine." You can look down to the
northeast and see one of the lakes.
Wonderful Wetlands
Standing Rock lies in the heart of the
"Prairie Potholes," a region of wetlands
that were created when glaciers
advanced and retreated across the
Dakotas, Montana, and Iowa, as well as
the prairie provinces of Canada. Whether
a wetland is seasonal or year round, it is
importantto wildlife and to us!
Wetlands provide ecological and
economic benefits to the community.
One of the most important benefits is in
filtering run-off and maintaining water
quality. Wetland vegetation helps prevent
heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins
from entering our drinking water sources.
Wetlands also provide food and habitat
for fish and wildlife.
Captions: Standing Rock stands four feet tall on
top of a glacial thrust moraine. An immense ice field once
covered all of Canada and
parts of the United States. 1) Water beneath the glacier is forced into the permeable ground layer. The
water, under great pressure from the weight of the ice above, moves toward
This immense ice field, thousands of feet
the glacier's edge where the pressure is less. 2) If water reaches an area where the permeable layer is weak, it may force
these materials up into the path of the advancing glacier. 3) The block of shale which formed this hill was pushed three miles from the
northeast by the advancing glacier. When the glacier receded, a lake formed in
the depression left behind. French scientist and explorer
Joseph Nicoller provided the
first written account of
Standing Rock in 1839.
Nicollet and his assistant
John C Fremont were
mapping the country west of
the Mississippi River, Nicollet
included Standing Rock as a
landmark on his map. North Dakota contains more prairie wetlands and produces more ducks than
any other state in the contiguous United States. Wetland areas provide
recreational benefits for sportsmen, bird watchers, and photographers alike. Wetlands are home to nearly half of all wildlife species found on the Northern
Great Plains. They provide nesting sites for waterfowl, protection for deer, and
are homes to other water-loving mammals like muskrat and mink. The "potholes" were formed nearly ten thousand years ago, when retreating glaciers of the last Great Ice Age left behind a landscape dotted with low hills and ponds.
Wetland basins provide natural flood control by storing spring run-off and water from heavy rainfalls--the water slowly sinks into the ground water or evaporates
into the air.
Erected by Federal
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Highway Administration, NDDOT, North Dakota Natural Resources Trust Garrison Diversion Recreation Grant and Valley City Food & Beverage Tax Fund.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Exploration. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.
Location. 46° 37.419′ N, 97° 54.52′ W. Marker is near Eastedge, North Dakota, in Ransom County. It can be reached from North Dakota Route 46 west of 122nd Avenue Southeast. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nome ND 58062, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Red River Valley and in Greater Fargo Area. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 426 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 14, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
