Jeffers Petroglyphs

Infobox_nrhp | name =Jeffers Petroglyphs Site
nrhp_type =

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caption =Jeffers Petroglyphs looking South East. Image is from a Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress), April, 1990
nearest_city= Jeffers, Minnesota
area =
architect=
architecture=
added = October 15, 1970
governing_body = Minnesota Historical Society
refnum=70000291 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2006-03-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service] The Jeffers Petroglyphs site is an outcrop in southwestern Minnesota with pre-contact Native American petroglyphs. The petroglyphs are pecked into rock of the Red Rock Ridge, a convert|23|mi|km|0|sing=on-long Sioux quartzite outcrop that extends from Watonwan County, Minnesota to Brown County, Minnesota. The exposed surface is approximately convert|150|ft|m|-1 by convert|650|ft|m|-1 and surrounded by virgin prairie. Several old wagon trail ruts traverse the site, one of which is believed to be the old stage coach route from New Ulm, Minnesota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.Roefer]

The exact age of the petroglyphs is not known, but some atlatl symbols at Jeffers are a close match with similar symbols at Indian Knoll in Kentucky, which have been dated to 3000 BCE. These are probably the earliest petroglyphs at the site and indicate that the site was first visited during the Late Archaic Period. Another clue to the age comes from the projectile point carvings, which show a projectile point design used by hunters in the Late Archaic Period. Other carvings, such as thunderbirds, dragonflies, turtles, and shamans, are symbolic of later tribes such as the Otoe tribe, Sioux, and Iowa tribe. These are believed to date between 900 CE and 1750 CE.

Several archaeologists have hypothesized theories about the purpose of the carvings. Some hypotheses include the practice of hunting magic, performance of sacred ceremonies, or recording historical events in the lives of warriors, shamans, and chiefs. The exact age and purpose of the carvings is only speculation, not established fact. Meanwhile, some Native Americans view the Jeffers site as sacred ground and a very spiritual place, not merely a site to be studied and speculated upon. Jerry Flute, a Dakota elder, was quoted as saying, "To the contemporary Native Americans who reside in and around the state, [Jeffers Petroglyphs] is a very spiritual place. It is a place where Grandmother Earth speaks of the past, present and future."

The Minnesota Historical Society purchased the site from W. R. Jeffers, Jr. in 1966 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It is maintained by the Minnesota Historical Society and is open to the public between May and September. The site is bracketted by two important tracts of tallgrass prairie: Rock Ridge Prairie Scientific and Natural Area to the northwest [cite web|url=http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/sna02025/index.html|title=Rock Ridge Prairie SNA|accessdate=2007-04-13|publisher=Minnesota Department of Natural Resources|year=2007] and Red Rock Prairie, a preserve of The Nature Conservancy, to the east. Here federally threated prairie bush clover is found, as well as big bluestem, Indian grass, gray-headed coneflower, Maximilian's sunflower, cordgrass and coreopsis. The Upland Sandpiper, Regal Fritillary and Powesheik Skipper can be found on these prairies. [cite web|url=http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/minnesota/preserves/art12271.html|title=Red Rock Prairie|accessdate=2007-04-13|publisher=The Nature Conservancy|year=2007]

Notes

References

* cite book
last = Gardner
first = Denis P.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2004
title = Minnesota Treasures: Stories Behind the State's Historic Places
publisher = Minnesota Historical Society
location = St. Paul, Minnesota
id = ISBN 0-87351-471-8
*cite book
last=Roefer
first=Florence
title=The Centennial History of Cottonwood County Minnesota 1970
publisher=Cottonwood County Historical Society
year=1970
pages=pp. 324-325
chapter=Cottonwood County Petroglyphs

External links

* [http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/jp/ Jeffers Petroglyphs] - Minnesota Historical Society
* [http://www.jefferspetroglyphs.com/ Friends of the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site]