• Artist George Catlin recorded the quarrying activity at the pipestone quarries in 1836

    Pipestone

    National Monument Minnesota

Indoor Activities

Interpretive Programs

Organized interpretive programs are available during the summer in the Visitor Center.  Programs may include talks, guided walks, multimedia presentations or other activities. 

Check at the Visitor Center for topics, meeting time, and place.

 

A cultural demonstrator is using a rasp to shape a pipestone bowl

NPS Photo

A carver shapes a pipe bowl.

Cultural Demonstrations

American Indian craft workers using pipestone from the quarries demonstrate the art of shaping and creating pipestone crafts in the Visitor Center.

Visitors have an opportunity to interact with and learn from the pipemakers. The demonstrations are available from April to mid-October.

 

Visitor Center

In addition to the cultural demonstrators working with pipestone in the visitor center, there are many exhibits about Pipestone National Monument's cultural, historic, and natural resources.

Visitors will enjoy watching an award winning 22-minute film, "Pipestone: An Unbroken Legacy," throughout the day. The film provides perspective on the significance of Pipestone and the quarrying tradition still carried out in this special place.

Did You Know?

Quarry pit showing the quartzite wall and quartzite rubble pile

Pipestone National Monument was the first National Park Service area in Minnesota designated by Congress and signed into existence by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on August 25, 1937.