Writing Rock State Historical Site facts for kids
Writing Rock State Historical Site is a special place located about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Grenora, North Dakota. It's in Divide County, close to the Montana border. This site is home to two big granite rocks that have amazing carvings on them. These carvings are called petroglyphs, and they show creatures like thunderbirds. Thunderbirds are important in the stories and beliefs of Plains Indian tribes.
Experts aren't sure exactly how old these carvings are, but they might be from as far back as the year 1000 up to about 1700. Even though we don't know what all the pictures mean today, both the Sioux and Assiniboine people thought this place was very sacred. For many years, the smaller rock was kept at the University of North Dakota. But in 1965, it was brought back to the site, which had become the Writing Rock State Historic Site. Today, both rocks are kept safe inside a shelter with iron bars. The site also has picnic tables, shelters, a building with a kitchen and fireplace, a playground, restrooms, and a parking lot.
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Amazing Rock Carvings
The designs on these rocks were clearly made by Native American artists. You can find similar rock art in other places like Roche Percee and Kamsack, Saskatchewan in Canada, and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada. There are also sites like Pictograph Cave in Montana and Ludlow Cave in Buffalo, South Dakota.
What are Thunderbirds?
Thunderbirds are mythical creatures that are very important in the stories of tribes who speak Algonquian and Siouan languages. Many Plains Indian tribes, like the Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Gros Ventre, Crow, Mandan, and Hidatsa, used thunderbirds in their art. These creatures are believed to cause lightning and thunder.
How Old Are the Carvings?
Similar designs to those at Writing Rock have been found on old items like shell and bone necklaces, and pottery. Most of these items from the northern plains date from around 1000 AD to 1700 AD. This helps us guess the age of the rock carvings.
The Two Special Rocks
The bigger of the two granite rocks is about four and a half feet tall and four feet wide. It has a large, flying bird surrounded by lines and circles carved into its flattest side. The second, smaller rock is about three and a half feet long, two feet wide, and one and a half feet high. It shows a smaller flying bird connected to circles and abstract lines. There's also a second bird on this rock, but its head is missing. All these designs were made by hitting a hard rock against the boulders or by grinding them into the surface.
