Walker in Cass County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

"A Possible Discovery"

— Circle of Time —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2023

1. "A Possible Discovery" Marker

Inscription. People have lived in the Leech Lake Area for over 10,000 years and artifacts have survived that tell us the story of their lives. Our Early Man is holding a tool made of siltstone, discovered by the Leech Lake Heritage Sites Program of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe on a hill south of Walker in 2006. It is believed the tool may have been used to scrape the frozen ground in search of berries or to separate the skin of an animal from the edible meat. The skin may also have been used to keep out the bitter cold that existed at the end of the Ice Age. His ancestors would have crossed Beringia — a land mass 1,000 miles wide between Asia and North America, where early man chased the woolly mammoth in search of food and clothing some 40,000 years ago, perhaps stopping to rest high on a hill south of Walker, possibly 10,000 years ago. If and when the siltstone is proven authentic, the tool would be far older than any other find of prehistoric remains in the Western Hemisphere.

Donated by Steingarten Press, Publisher of “High on a Hill”,
honoring the Leech Lake Heritage Sites Program of the
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

Erected 2015 by The City of Walker, Minnesota.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals

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• Anthropology & Archaeology • Arts, Letters, Music • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 47° 6.099′ N, 94° 34.691′ W. Marker is in Walker, Minnesota, in Cass County. It is at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue West (State Highway 200/371) and 3rd Street, on the right when traveling east on Minnesota Avenue West. This “Circle of Time” sculpture and historical marker are located in front of the Cass County Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 Minnesota Avenue West, Walker MN 56484, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Minnesota’s Northland. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: "The Wind Beneath Our Wings" (here, next to this marker); "God Bless America" (here, next to this marker); "Before the Ojibwe" (here, next to this marker); "Spare That Tree" (here, next to this marker); "Big Enough to Keep" (here, next to this marker); "Stimulated Exploration" (here, next to this marker); "More Than Just A Fish Camp!" (here, next to this marker); "We Come Together" (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Walker.

More about this marker. This sculpture and historical marker are

"A Possible Discovery" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2023

2. "A Possible Discovery"

The sculpture rests atop this pillar; the marker is mounted on the front.

the centerpiece of Joel Randell's “Circle of Time” monument.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Circle of Time

Also see . . . Archeological find in Walker may be one of oldest human sites. Excerpt:

The ancient stone tools were found on a rugged, jackpine-forested hilltop not far from the shore of Leech Lake. The Leech Lake Heritage Sites Program continued digging over the next few months on the one-acre site. They uncovered some 50 artifacts, mostly crude stone tools used for chopping, cutting or scraping. They're being studied at a lab in Cass Lake. What makes these tools so astounding is their apparent age. Archeologists believe they could have been used between 13,000 and 15,000 years ago, toward the end of the last Ice Age. If those early age estimates hold true, it puts researchers into uncharted territory. It means humans inhabited Minnesota more than 5,000 years earlier than scientists once thought.

(Submitted on November 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

"A Possible Discovery" Sculpture image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2023

3. "A Possible Discovery" Sculpture

The artist is Joel Randell.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2023

4. The Artist

(also on pillar supporting this sculpture)In 2009, Joel Randell from Luther, OK was contracted to sculpt a “Circle of Time”. Randell is a member of the National Sculpture Society and is nationally known for his two most famous renditions of “Marquis de Lafayette” in Fayetteville, West Virginia and his “Tuskegee Airman” at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Other famous productions include a life-size, bronze statue of a black Union soldier that fought in the “Battle of Island Mound” during the Civil War in Bates County, Missouri and the “Women Veterans Monument” in Del City, Oklahoma. Our very own, “Circle of Time” is prominently listed in Randell’s Commission List and can be seen on his web page. The committee was very fortunate to have such a nationally-renowned artist sculpt our “Circle of Time”.

A Timeline of the <i>“Circle of Time”</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2023

5. A Timeline of the “Circle of Time”

(also on pillar supporting this sculpture)2008 — The City of Walker, with Mayor Brad Walhof, presiding, conducted a Comprehensive Study that suggested the city erect a monument depicting the art, culture & history of the area. The City Park Board appointed a committee that worked on the project for eight years under four different mayors!
2009 — A nationally-renowned sculptor, Joel Randell from Luther, Oklahoma was contracted to create a “Circle of Time”.
2011 — On the Fourth of July, Mayor Brian Johnson dedicated the First Phase of the Monument, consisting of six, bronze statues.
2015 — During the next four years, Mayor Scott Bruns administered the Second Phase of the project, which consisted of seven more bronze statues and was dedicated by Mayor Jed Shaw on August 13th.

<i>“Circle of Time”</i> Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2023

6. “Circle of Time” Monument

The monument consists of 13 individual sculptures, each with an interpretive historical marker. “A Possible Discovery” is the centerpiece.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 340 times since then and 26 times this year. Last updated on December 2, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.