A Landscape Shaped by Glaciers

A Landscape Shaped by Glaciers. . Brrrrrr! It would have been a chilly day 14,000 years ago. South Dakota was nearing the end of the last Ice Age and most of Lincoln County was covered by the eastern edge of a glacier, a massive sheet of ice that bulldozed across the landscape., Glaciers shaped this region. Long ago, immense torrents of glacial meltwater carved the deep, wide river valley that holds the narrower Big Sioux River. As the glacier scraped the landscape it picked up rocks of all sizes and left them in huge piles after melting. This sand and gravel was later quarried for construction and road projects. Finally, the tiny, nutrient-rich rock fragments carried by the glacier formed the soil left behind as the glacier melted. These rich soils support eastern South Dakota's agricultural industry., South Dakota's Final Ice Age , The area we know as Lincoln County, shown in blue, was on the leading edge of the glacier 14,000 years ago., The Blood Run villages across the river sat atop deep glacial deposits of gravel and sand. When quarrying destroyed some areas of the village, the state of Iowa purchased land and took steps to preserve the remaining cultural areas., Glaciers also scattered very large rocks, known as erratics, across the landscape. Some of these boulders were used for ceremonial purposes. By repeatedly hammering and grinding in one spot, pits were left across the surface of this erratic. This particular stone resides on the Iowa side of Blood Run. Please respect this artifact by looking but not touching.