Grand Meadow Township in Mower County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Making These Pits/Maḳa Ok'e Kaġapi

Making These Pits / Ma& Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, October 5, 2025

1. Making These Pits / Ma& Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

These pits you see here were dug by hand using tools made of stone, antler, bone, and wood. This work was only possible when the ground was not frozen. Indigenous workers loosened the dirt with digging sticks. They scooped the dirt with bone hoes into woven baskets or hide bags and dumped it along the rim or into an older pit.

Hékta ehaŋna maḳa ok'e kiŋdena wíḳic̣aŋye íŋyaŋ, ṭahe, hohu k'a nakuŋ c̣aŋ uŋ káġapi uŋ k'ápi. Maḳa kiŋ tasake ṡni c̣a ok'api cée. K'ápi kiŋ hena wíbopte uŋmaḳa paoḣdaġaŋpi cée. Maḳa kiŋ hohu maḣ'iyubdu uŋ pahiŋtapi k'a psa wóhnake kaiṡ ṭaha wóżuha ohnakaba maḳa ok'e maṭete ed éhdepi kaiṡ maḳa ok'e ṭókca ohnakap cée.

Native people dug deep enough to reach the layer of Grand Meadow Chert nodules.

Grand Meadow Chert nodules revealed during an archaeological dig.

Grand Meadow Chert nodules

Imagine how long it would take you and your family to dig one of these pits. The

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work involved gives you an idea of how important Grand Meadow Chert was to the people who quarried here.

Ṭiwahe niṭawag ob watohaŋyaŋmaḳa ok'e kiŋ dena oyak'api ḳta kec̣aŋni? Ehaŋk'api kiŋ hena waŋiyotaŋdapi. He ṭaŋiŋ ye/do

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 43° 43.683′ N, 92° 35.338′ W. Marker is near Grand Meadow, Minnesota, in Mower County. It is in Grand Meadow Township. It can be reached from 730th Avenue, on the right when traveling north. The marker is on the self-guided interpretive trail at the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 25578 730th Avenue, Grand Meadow MN 55936, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Minnesota.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Making These Pits/Maḳa Ok'e Kaġapi Marker (right) at the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, October 5, 2025

2. Making These Pits/Maḳa Ok'e Kaġapi Marker (right) at the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry

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

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Those Who Came Here/Ehaŋnah Tuweweka Ded Hípi? (here, next to this marker); The Hardware Store/Wáḳic̣aŋye Mazoṗiye (within shouting distance of this marker); The Quarry Story/Maḳa Ook'e Wóyakapi Kiŋ Dée (within shouting distance of this marker); The Grandmother Tree (within shouting distance of this marker); Rock Stars/Waŋhi Icaptuġe (within shouting distance of this marker); A Truly Grand Rock (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Perfect Spot (about 300 feet away); Grand Meadow Chert Quarry/Wanhi Yukan (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Meadow.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 71 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 31, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.