Flint Ridge State Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Flint Ridge State Memorial
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A typical boulder at the site
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Brownsville, Ohio |
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| Area | 250 acres (100 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000505 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1970 |
Flint Ridge State Memorial is a special place in Licking County, Ohio, near Brownsville, Ohio. It's a historic site where Native American people once dug for a very useful rock called flint. You can still see the old digging pits, which are like small quarries, and there's a museum to visit.
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Discovering Flint Ridge
Flint Ridge State Memorial covers about 250 acres. It was officially recognized as an important historical site on November 10, 1970. The land is managed by the state of Ohio, making sure this piece of history is protected for everyone to learn from.
What is Flint?
Flint is a very hard type of rock. It's a special kind of quartz, which is a common mineral. The flint found at Flint Ridge formed a very long time ago, during a period geologists call the Pennsylvanian Age. This means it's hundreds of millions of years old!
A Special Place for Native Americans
For thousands of years, Flint Ridge was a super important spot for Native American people. They came from all over to dig up the valuable flint. They used this hard rock to make many tools. Think about things like arrowheads, spear points, knives, and scrapers. Flint was perfect for these tools because it breaks with very sharp edges.
Trading Ohio Flint
The flint from Flint Ridge was so good that it became a major trade item. Native Americans traded this "Ohio Flint" far and wide. Pieces of flint from this ridge have been found in places as far west as the Rocky Mountains and as far south as the area around the Gulf of Mexico. This shows how connected different Native American groups were through trade. It also shows how important this specific flint was to their daily lives and survival.
Today, Flint Ridge State Memorial helps us remember and learn about the rich history of Native Americans in Ohio and their amazing skills.
