Event
-
Everyday from 04/25/2017 to 04/25/2020
Location:
Pipestone National Monument,
Fee Information: Included in Park Entrance Fee
Contact Name: Rangers
Contact Email: E-Mail Us
Contact Phone Number: 507-825-5464
On any given day, weather permitting, you may have the chance to observe quarries being worked by authorized permit holders.
The quarrying of pipestone is often an underappreciated part of the tradition surrounding pipemaking. The task of extracting pipestone from the earth is a slow and labor intensive process and the hand tools used today are not much more advanced than the tools and methods used in centuries past. The process can require many days of physical labor with only the use of hand tools such as sledgehammers, pry bars, chisels, wedges, and steel bars allowed. For someone not already in good physical condition the process is slowed or should not be attempted at all.
Pipestone National Monument also offers a ¾ mile walking path, museum, pipestone carving demonstrations, picnic area and a gift shop. As a visitor you will be able to explore American Indian culture and the natural resources of the tallgrass prairie, which come alive with wildflowers during the summer months. Established by Congress in 1937 to protect the historic pipestone quarries, the site is considered sacred by many American Indians. Spanning centuries of use, American Indians continue to quarry pipestone at the Monument.