Pipestone National Monument

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Published on Aug 18, 2013

Pipestone National Monument is located in southwestern Minnesota, just north of the city of Pipestone, Minnesota. It is located along the highways of U.S. Route 75, Minnesota State Highway 23 and Minnesota State Highway 30. The catlinite, or "pipestone", has been traditionally used to make ceremonial pipes, vitally important to traditional Plains Indian religious practices. The quarries are sacred to most of the tribe of North America, Dakota, Lakota, and other tribes of Native Americans, and were neutral territory where all Nations could quarry stone for ceremonial pipes. The Sioux tribes may have taken control of the quarries around 1700, but the Minnesota pipestone has been found inside North American burial mounds dating from long before that, and ancient Indian trails leading to the area suggest pipestone may have been quarried there for many centuries.

Published on Jul 16, 2013

This National Monument is truly a sacred place and has been for close to 2000 years. The Sioux account as to the origin of the pipestone, as recorded by George Catlin in 1836 states that .... At an ancient time the Great Spirit, in the form of a large bird, stood upon the wall of rock and called all the tribes around him, and breaking out a piece of the red stone formed it into a pipe and smoked it, the smoke rolling over the whole multitude. He then told his red children that this red stone was their flesh, that they were made from it, that they must all smoke to him through it, that they must use it for nothing but pipes; and as it belonged alike to all tribes, the ground was sacred, and no weapons must be used or brought upon it.

In 1937 Congress established Pipestone National Monument to provide traditional quarrying for Indians. Today pipe carvings are appreciated as art-works as well as for ceremonial use. Once again, as commanded by the spirit bird in the Sioux story of it's creation, the pipestone here is quarried by an American Indian enrolled in a tribe recognized by the US Government. An age old tradition continues in the modern world, ever changing yet rooted in the past.

The unique and special stone is also referred to as Catlinite, named after George Catlin.

Be sure to enjoy the Circle Trail and take in beautiful Winnewissa falls and then explore the ancient quarries. The Native Americans who are tasked with quarrying the stone treat it with reverence and respect. Please do the same and not remove any pieces of the stone, nor intrude in the space assigned to each workman. The pipestone is still quarried by hand just as it has been for centuries.

Uploaded on Dec 14, 2011

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Pipestone quarries in southwest Minnesota are a sacred place for Native American Indian tribes. Also, we will visit an old-time threshing bee, and college students learn to speak Chinese through song.

Uploaded on May 2, 2009

panoramic view of the waterfall and surrounding area

Published on May 16, 2013

Here are a few views of my visit to Pipestone National Monument. Most of this is the cliffs not the pipestone quarry areas. What a wonderful, sacred area.

Uploaded on Oct 6, 2008

Here is Pipestone National Monument - visited in OCT08