On Friday last week, I visited the Jeffers Petroglyphs. I had been there several times while growing up in Cottonwood County, but it had been a very long time since I had last been there.  The site has over 2000 images carved by Native Americans into the hard Sioux quartzite outcroppings which were worn flat by the great glaciers that once covered the area several times during the ice ages. The earliest carvings were probably made as early as 7000–9000 years ago, and carving continued until a couple of hundred years ago. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, who owns and operates the site, this makes it one of the oldest continually used sacred sites in the world. The carvings can be a bit difficult to see at times, but it is amazing place and worth a visit if you are in the area. My gallery includes 15 photographs of various glyphs at the site.

thunderbird petroglyph

The rock on which the images were carved is surrounded by a prairie remnant, including 33 acres of virgin prairie never put to the plow. Efforts have been underway for a number of years to preserve and restore the prairie. The rich and beautiful landscape of this prairie, and the surrounding landscape, provided a feast to this photographer’s eye. A few of the landscapes are presented in HDR.

I hope you enjoy the flowers, plants, and rock carvings I offer here.

prairie scene with flowers

prairie flower

Gallery: Petroglyphs and Prairie