The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-10-14
says al that branch oft (the Min

nesota) termed Marble river is a
mountain, from whence the Indians
get a sort Of red stone, out of which
they hew the bowls Of their pipes
It was not till 1882, when Catlin the :
artist visited and spent some wears
among the Sioux, that the secret was
discovered, and he, after many efforts
and much delay. was allowed in 1886
to visit the spot His exulting p@an
OF victory was as intemperate as Sher-
man represents General John A. Nc
Clernand's to have been on the CAP
ture Of Arkansas Post.
In 1883, Nieollet, accompanied by
John G. Fremont, found the d;ficuit
| path. An analysis of the stone made
under his direction gives Silica 1872,
Alumina 2S.2, Magnesia 6, Car. of
Lime 2.6, Perox. of Iron 5, Oxide of
Manganese 0.6. He describes the
stratum as II feet thick, in thin slabs,
compact, structure slaty, dull polish,
red streak. Color blood-red with
lighter spots Of same; rough fracture,
sectile sp. gray. 29. Acids do not
act upon it. Infusible before the
blowpipe per Sc, but with borax gives
green glass. may add to this it's
geologic age as prior to the Potsdam
and the same as the. sandstones of
Lake Superiorc.r.,, -.....-
visited the place in 1868. In the
extreme southwest, of Mmnesota near
the Dakota line, forty miles from the
nearest settler a valley one mile long
by less than half a mile in breadth is
scooped abruptly out of the boundless,
treeless plain. Like the Jew Shy
locks house, it is a hard place to hit.
One may pass within a hundred rods
Of the edge, and be unconscious of it.
The eastern side is a ledge of bright
red sandstone of many co1ored bands,
fifty or sixty feet vertical height,
whence a gentle slope to the center Of
the valley. Three small streams of
clear bright water from springs not
far away fall over this ledge making
constant music, and uniting in the
valley, break through the western
side and away into the Des Moines Of
Iowa.
A layer of pink sandstone thirty
feet thick forms the cap of the expos
ed rock; this is extremely dense, and
has the remarkable property of be-
coming CLASSY On the weathered sur
face. One could walk as easily on
ice. A detached column seven or
eight feet square, and eight feet from
the main rock, made a grand test of
Sioux, manhood. Not Leucate's
promontory, though graced with the
leap Of Sappho, had more local celeb
rity as cure for love. He who
clung to the rock won the heart of
the dusky Sioux maiden for his brav-
cry, while the unlucky fellow who
overshot the glittering surface, quench-
ed life and love at once upon the
rocks below.
On the bare sandstone rock of the
slope below are three huge granite
boulders, the size of cabins, evidently
once single rock. This is the dwell
ing place of the Great Spirit, and
here the Indians made votive offerings
Of kinnikinic or, tobacco at every visit.
About the center of this slope, and
covered with one to three feet OF grav-
Ell and vegetable mould is the outcrop
of the pipestone. The Sioux is not
fond Of hard work; he would dig a
little pit to the edge of the stratum,
and when the supply was exhausted,
instead of clearing away the earth he
had thrown out and following along
the edge, would start a new place.
This was the occasion of much cere-
mony the tribe purified themselves
for several days; then the Pharisee of
the most straitest sect was delegated
to dig; if he struck sandstone instead
Of finding plpestone, he was incontin-
emily kicked out and successor ap-
pointed.
The Indian tradition is no less
trustworthy here than elsewhere. The
Great Spirit standing upon the edge
of the rock, called all the tribes of
red men together in the valley below
him. He advised peace and harmo-
ny in all the land but especially at
this spot, there was never to be war,
or blood7shed, Or guile. Then he
pointed out the pipestone as the COM
mon heritage of all tribes, and fash
ioning pipe, he smoked over them
all, and told them they must them
selves smoke in token Of peace. At
the last Whit of his pipe, blaze Of
fire rolled over the surface Of the
rock, and he disappeared among the
boulders. The fire glazed the rock,
in which bis footprints are still point
ed out. '"'5
I Dispersed through the stone at If
regular intervals, are 1inty nodules,
rendering it very difficult to work in
large plates The Indians made
careful selection for their pipes, re-
jecdng fully as much as they carried
away. This fact and the. difficulty of
quarrying gives probability to the
Indian theory that the Great Spirit
designed it for the savage alone; and
that it will again only be useful when
Macaulay,s enlightened New Zeal
ander shall wonder what ancient race
raised the broken shaft on Bunker
Hill, or shall attempt to decipher the