Wild Roses in Full Bloom

On Tuesday, June 21, 1838 an exploration party led by Joseph N Nicollet was a few miles to the north of the Jeffers Petroglyph's site. They were following the Cottonwood River heading toward the Pipestone quarries to the west. The Little Cottonwood River is very close to the petroglyph's site. On this June day thickets of wild roses were in bloom in the region. A southeast wind was blowing with a clear sky and the air was perfumed by the wild roses.

The explorers noted a plateau area toward which they were moving. Looking to the south they would have seen over a valley to another plateau where the petroglyph's could be found. But they were not aware of the site and did not take that route.

As they continued they noted an elevation about 1/3 mile long and 60 feet above the green plain of the prairie and near the river. It was just about 8 years before that Indian people came there to watch herds of buffalo arrive in the area. The place was called "Indian Lookout Mount". It was near present day Lamberton, Minnesota.

Nicollet says that the Cottonwood River at that time was a clear flowing stream with sand bottom. The prairie was undisturbed by cultivation, railroads, roads, communities or any other permanent sign of human presence. Indian people led a nomadic life much in harmony with the natural scene.

I include this information to give evidence of the nature of the Minnesota prairie and the grandeur of the scene greeting Nicollet's team. The information comes from the Journals of Joseph Nicollet translated from the French and edited by Edmund C. Bray and Martha Coleman Bray. This 1976 publication by the Minnesota Historical Society is entitled "Joseph N. Nicollet on the Plains and Prairies: The Expeditions of 1838-39 With Journals, Letters, and Notes on the Dakota Indians."

Personality of glyph artists

One thing we can claim to know about the people who did the Jeffers Petroglyphs is that they had a genetic predisposition toward social domination. The basis for this opinion lies in contemporary studies of neuroendocrine mechanisms.

William Anderson and Cliff Summers of the University of South Dakota present a paper in the November, 2007 issue of the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences arguing that stress coping strategies and social dominance are based in neurochemical biological foundations.

All we have to observe are the glyphs themselves at Jeffers and other sites. The fact that glyphs were created tells us that the creators not only were dealing with meaning in life but that they had personality traits enabling them to think wider than the tribe or family. In thinking beyond their own immediate interests they display what would be called "leadership" in any society - ancient or contemporary.

Worthy question include: "Can we claim close kinship with the glyph people? Is it possible that ideas expressed in the glyphs are available to assist us in solving human problems in our time?
Can the array of present world religions be enhanced by ideas from another era that we access only through glyph symbols?"

Petroglyphs on the Prairie

The Red Rock Prairie is near to the Petroglyph site. The tallgrass prairie that once covered vast areas has been reduced drastically with one tenth of one percent of Minnesota's original prairies remaining. The Red Rock ridge prairie area is one the survivors. Outcrops of Sioux Quartzite prevented the land from being plowed and planted to crops.

An endangered species, prairie bush clover, is found at Red Rock Prairie. Prairie bush clover can be identified by its grayish-silver sheen and its pale pink or cream colored flowers that bloom in mid-July. Several other endangered plant species continue to exist and thrive at this prairie.

Restoration of the Red Rock Prairie was completed in 2007. The Nature Conservatory has taken the lead in the restoration process. Further information is on the Nature Conservatory website.

The prairie landscape is of a piece with the petroglyphs in that the the artist creators were influenced by the entire natural scene. Understanding the meaning of the glyphs and their creators involves coming to know and appreciate the ecosystem in which they operated some 5 to 9 thousand years ago. Since no recorded explanations are provided we are putting together the scene and will gradually enter the mindset of the people of the time. The glyphs call us to the task. Fortunately nature provides us with the makings of an unfolding tale.