History & Culture

Pipestone National Monument is a storied landscape. Numerous tribes around the country have oral traditions connecting them to this site, Euro-Americans have been visiting and writing about it since the 1600s, and archeologists have found evidence for over 3,000 years of human activity here. Today, Pipestone National Monument is officially affiliated with 23 tribal nations and Indigenous people from across the country keep ancient quarrying traditions alive to this day.

Learn more about the cultures, traditions, histories, and research of Pipestone National Monument.
 
A group of people gathered on the grass around a couple kids
Affiliated Tribal Nations

The 23 Tribal Nations affiliated with Pipestone National Monument

 
Rudolf Cronau's 1881 painting of the quarries
Stories

Stories revealing a landscape charged with life and imbued with meaning.

Ihanktonwan leader Struck By The Ree
People

Historical figures who shaped Pipestone's story and the quarriers who still do.

Pink rock with initials carved into it
Places

Culturally and historically significant areas in the monument.

 

Last updated: November 4, 2020

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

36 Reservation Ave
Pipestone, MN 56164

Phone:

507 825-5464 x214

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