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THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012A Supplement to the...

2 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012CELEBRATING75 YEARSThe cultural, natural and historicalsignificance of Pipestone NationalMonument will be celebrated on theoccasion of the Monument’s 75thAnniversary, Saturday, Aug. 25, withseveral events that will take place at theVisitor Center throughout the day.Pipestone National MonumentSuperintendent Glen Livermont hasinvited the community to join Monumentstaff in the celebration, which will includewalks, refreshments, photo displays, threeguest speakers, post office cancellation ofa special anniversary stamp, and guidedtours of the Monument maintenanceoperation on the Minnesota WestCommunity & Technical College.At 1 p.m. there will be a formalceremony at the Visitor Center withremarks and presentations by staff ofthe National Park Service, federal, stateand local officials, community leaders,and member of tribes affiliated with theMonument.In the following pages, you’ll readabout the Monument’s past and present,as well as what the future may hold for thePipestone landmark. These stories alsocover the geologic, spiritual and culturalformation of the land that, for the past75 years, the Monument has served topreserve, interpret and protect.Happy Anniversary, PipestoneNational Monument!-Debra FitzgeraldEditorTHE MONUMENT IS BORNThe above photo depicts the dedication of the new visitor center with a ribbon cutting ceremonyheld July 26, 1958 - 21 years after the founding of the Monument. Prior to the creation of the VisitorCenter, park amenities included a picnic area and shelter. The Visitor Center was expanded in1973. Source: Pipestone County MuseumBy Kyle KuphalPipestone National Monument wasfounded on Aug. 25, 1937 when PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt signed it intoexistence.While the Monument became a reality75 years ago, the concept for a park of somekind near the pipestone quarries emergednearly 50 years before that. Bringing thoseplans to fruition was no easy task.According to “Managing the sacred andthe secular: An administrative history ofPipestone National Monument,” publishedin 1992, the idea was first put forth in the1890s by residents of the young city ofPipestone, who thought a national park inthe area would create a “federally fundedanchor for the local economy.”At that time only a few national parksexisted, including Yellowstone, MackinacIsland, Yosemite, Sequoia and GeneralGrant national parks.According to the book, “A History ofPipestone National Monument,” publishedin 1965, local park advocates held anumber of meetings over a three-weekperiod in 1895, after which a draft bill wassent to Congressman J. T. McCleary, whointroduced it as H.R. 3741. The bill calledfor the Pipestone Indian Reservation tobe “set apart and designated ‘The IndianPipestone National Park.’” The bill died inthe Public Lands Committee of the House ofRepresentatives.An agreement signed by the Yanktons in1899 called for the land to be “maintainedas a national park or reservation,” butCongress never ratified the agreement.Other plans emerged in 1919 to use 22 acresof reservation land near Indian Lake for a citypark. In 1925, legislators H. J. Farmer and L. P.Johnson introduced a bill to establish a statepark at the site contingent upon the transferof the land from the federal government.Neither the local or state park plans evercame to fruition due to a title dispute. Thatdispute ended with the federal governmentholding the title to the reservation land in1928. With the title cleared, local groups,including the Daughters of the AmericanRevolution and the Pipestone National ParkAssociation, resumed the push for a park.The Pipestone National Park Association,which later became the Pipestone IndianShrine Association, was formed in 1932 bya group of about 35 people from variousHappy Birthdayto thePipestone National MonumentPipestone507-825-3316Congratson 75Years!PEPSI COLA BOTTLING COMPANY1801 FORMAN DRIVE, PIPESTONE, MN(507) 825-4207Pipestone County native Winifred Bartlettplayed an instrumental role in the local effortsto establish a park at the pipestone quarries.Source: nps.govcommunity organizations in Pipestone.The group selected an executive committeewith Winifred Bartlett as president; EdwardA. Trebon as vice president; Tad A. Bailey assecretary; Max Menzel as treasurer; and Rev.Joseph Mangan and Ruth Morgan.The Association approved a draft billto establish a park of 81.75 acres thatwould give quarrying rights to all NativeAmerican tribes and asked James W. Balmer,superintendent of the Pipestone IndianSchool, to find out what the Bureau of IndianAffairs thought of such a park. “A History ofPipestone National Monument” says someofficials at the bureau objected strongly tothe park, but some support was indicated.Sen. Henrik Shipstead of Minnesotaintroduced formal legislation to make thearea part of the National Park System in 1934and 1935, but one bill died in committeeand the House never took action on theother. Despite continued failures, local,state and federal efforts to create a NationalMonument continued.Monument bornContinued on page 3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012 PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR – 3AFTER THE FOUNDINGBy Kyle KuphalAfter Pipestone National Monument wasfounded in 1937, its development was a longslow process, due mostly to lack of funding.For the first two years there were no staffat the Monument. The first custodian —J.W. Balmer, who was superintendent of theIndian School — was appointed two yearslater in 1939. Balmer volunteered to serve ascustodian and was not compensated.It was Balmer who proposed a permittingprocess for quarrying that required thequarriers to use only hand methods toremove the stone. The National Park Service(NPS) implemented such a rule in 1946,limiting quarrying to Native Americans usinghand tools, requiring them to secure a freepermit, and prohibiting accommodationslike trailers or mobile homes on theMonument grounds.The goal, according to “Managing thesacred and the secular: An administrativehistory of Pipestone National Monument,”published in 1992, was to present thequarrying as an interpretive activity andlimit the amount of the resource removed.Those rules remain in effect today.“The way things are quarried is still thesame - sledge hammers and wedges,” saidTravis Erickson, a fourth generation quarrierand pipe carver.There are 56 pipestone quarries at theMonument. Of those, 52 are permitted on anannual basis, four on a monthly basis. Thereis no waiting list for the monthly permittedquarries, but a waiting list of about 10 yearsfor the annual permits, said Glen Livermont,Monument superintendent.Erickson, who has quarried his pit forover 30 years and extracts close to a ton ofpipestone each year, said the activity levelat the Monument has changed over the lastthree decades. When he started quarrying,there were many pits that weren’t spokenfor, but the people who quarried did so ona regular basis. Today, there is a waiting listto quarry, but Erickson said there’s not asmuch activity as there used to be.Funding for further development of thegrounds came in 1948 when the Monumentswitched to year-round operation. Thefirst full time employee, Lyle K. Linch, washired (he later became the Monument’s firstsuperintendent), roads and parking lotswere graveled, trails were improved, a trailguide was introduced, interpretive signswere erected and the exhibit pit was openedMonument bornContinued from page 2around that time.A few years later in 1950, the three-quartermile Circle Trail was opened, guiding visitorspast the Monument’s natural and historicfeatures.When the Indian School closed in theearly 1950s, the Bureau of Indian Affairsdecided to turn over to the Monumentsome of the school’s land. The transfer ofadditional acres was made official on Feb.16, 1957, increasing the Monument’s sizefrom 115 to 282 acres. Today, the Monumenthas 301 acres.Around 1955 the Pipestone NationalPark Association that had helped bringthe Monument into existence reemergedwith a new purpose and a new name — thePipestone Indian Shrine Association.“The main purpose was to provide a shopor a venue, if you will, where the NativeAmerican craftspeople could sell their stuffand it could be sold for them, and they couldsell it year round,” said Pat Beyers, a longtime Pipestone Indian Shrine Associationmember. “And also to do some marketingfor those crafts.”Construction of the Visitor’s Center beganin 1957 and was completed in 1958. A littlemore than a decade later, between 1971-72,the Upper Midwest Indian Cultural Center,THANKYOU FOR75 YEARSOF SERVICE!which includes the craft areas and themuseum, was added to the Visitor’s Center.A six-unit apartment building was also builtat that time, according to “Pipestone CountyHistory” published in 1984, to house theNative Americans who quarried the stone.That building has since been torn down.More recently in 2006, the Friendsof the Pipestone National Monumentwas formed with the encouragement ofthen-superintendent M. James LaRock.The Friends of the Pipestone NationalMonument is a non-profit organization thatpromotes the preservation, developmentand public understanding of the Monument.The group supports the Monument throughstewardship, visitor service programs,volunteerism and fundraising.Their efforts have included providinglunch for the volunteers during the annualseed day, holding a yearly photo contest toAbove, l-to-r: 1. Joe Taylor, who quarriedhis Monument pit for many years and soldpipestone crafts in the area, is shown withan unnamed man in this 1920s photo. 2. Thispit today is named Indian Joe Pit after JoeTaylor. 3. The three-quarter mile circle trail atthe Monument being developed in 1950. 4. Aportion of the three-quarter mile circle trailtoday. Sources: Pipestone County HistoricalSociety and Pipestone Publishing/Kyle Kuphalpromote interest in the Monument, a run tobenefit park activities and volunteer work.They’ll also be serving snacks and beveragesto visitors during the Monument’s 75thanniversary celebration.We Congratulate thePipestone NationalMonument for your75 Years of Service!In 1937 those efforts succeeded whenboth senators from Minnesota introducedyet another bill to create the Monument.The Senate passed the bill on Aug. 6, theHouse passed it on Aug. 21 and on Aug. 25,1937, FDR signed it into law and PipestoneNational Monument was born.The Monument was unique in that it wasone of the first national monuments createdby legislative action rather than presidentialproclamation. It was also unique becausethe historic activities that made the areasignificant — the quarrying of the stone —were still occurring.A&SDrug101 W. Main St.,Pipestone, MN, 507-825-3100Pipestone, MNProviding Health Care To Our Customers For Over 75 Years!

4 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012WALKING THE CIRCLE TRAILBy Mavis FodnessThe Circle Trail wasdeveloped in the 1950s toallow visitors to view the tallgrass prairie and other naturalfeatures of the park.The three-quarter miletrail begins and ends at thePipestone National Monument’sInterpretative Center. Some ofthe features on the trail include:-Arrowhead is one of 380different species of floweringplants and grasses growing atthe Monument.-Spotted quarry is the activequarry line, where quarrierswork late summer and fall.-Lake Hiawatha is namedafter poet Henry WadsworthLongfellow’s American Indiancharacter Hiawatha.-Old Stone Face was naturallycreated in the quartzite.-Winnewissa Falls, whichmeans “jealous maiden” in theDakota language, was loweredeight feet in the early 1900s tocreate 18 more acres of tillablefarmland above the falls.-Oracle is another of nature’ssculptures.-Tall grass prairie usedto extend for miles in everydirection and its colors andtexture would change as differentplant species bloomed.-An open quarry showsthe layers of quartzite abovethe pipestone. According toone American Indian belief,these layers were formed fromthe flesh and blood of theirancestors.Spotted quarryOpen quarryOld Stone FaceOracleJasperMini MallHwy 23 Jasper(507) 348-3080 Thank you for beingpart of our communityfor 75 years Check us out on the web! www.pipestonerealty.comFt. PipestoneTrading Post& Museum Free Admission!Open May- 0am-6pmLonger Hours June, July & August507-825-4474104 9th St. NE - AT THE ENTRANCE TO THEPIPESTONE NATIONAL MONUMENTThank Youfor Being Part ofPipestone's Historyfor the Past 75 Years!115 2nd St NE Suite 102, Pipestone, MN 56164877-836-8318 www.wctours.net

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012 PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR – 5INDIAN SHRINE: A HISTORY OF ARTISAN SUPPORTBy Mavis FodnessA block of pipestone rock tugs at artisanTravis Erickson’s pant leg.“I sit here like ‘yes, I have orders to do forpeople,” he explained. “And I sit here carvingand this square rock is talking to you and Ipick it up.”Turning the rock in his hands, Erickson,who has been carving pipestone for 33years, said he would examine all sides,trying to understand the image the spiritworld is communicating to him.“I drew it on there and cut it out andit relaxed,” he said to a tourist fromNebraska.The vision Erickson saw was a buffaloskull, which he sketched in pencil on oneside of the stone after imaging the threedimensionalartwork. After the spiritsdelivered their carving instructions,Erickson said he could finish the buffaloskull as a ceremonial pipe later, returning tofinish the previous pipe order.The Nebraska tourist was one ofthousands who visit Pipestone NationalMonument on a yearly basis and Ericksonis one of three federally funded artisanshired by the National Park Service (NPS) toprovide demonstrations during the summermonths on carving the sacred pipestone.The other artisans are Pam Tellinghuisenand Ray Red Wing.Overseeing the artisans and helping topreserve the American Indian tradition ofpipe making is the Pipestone Indian ShrineAssociation.“We are a non-profit organization so webuy from the local pipestone craft peopleand sell to the public,” said Dave Rambow,business manager of the Pipestone IndianShrine Association. “It is a way for locals tomarket their work.”Originally organized in 1955, the ShrineAssociation opened a gift shop within theVisitor Center in 1958. Located near thefront entrance where the audio-visualroom is now located, a 1973 expansion tothe Visitor Center allowed the gift shop toexpand in the Center’s southeast corner andadd work areas for the artisans.Rambow said the ceremonial piperemains the most popular item purchasedfrom the gift shop, which ranges from $20to as much as $800 for a customized pipe.Through the years, he said he noticed achange in why customers are buying pipes.“We’ve noticed a trend in the ‘50s and‘60s, maybe even the early ‘70s, a lot of theseitems were purchased as tourist items,” hesaid. “So if you came in there in the ’60s or‘70s, you probably would never smoke thething.”As decorations, Rambow said touristswould ask how to display a purchasedceremonial pipe. Today, he said more peoplepurchase pipes to use in ceremonies.“A lot of native people are coming backto the old ways, trying to restore theirtraditions,” Rambow said.Carvers have adjusted their crafts byenlarging the tobacco well allowing thepipe to function appropriately, he said. Pipetobacco is sold in the gift shop.With each pipe sold through the gift shop,Rambow said a packet of information isincluded. In the packet is information onthe artisan, how to assemble the pipe’s bowland stem, proper display and a history ofthe ceremonial pipe.Rambow said he would like to expand theShrine’s education programming to includenew technologies such as those availablethrough today’s cell phones, where visitorsThe Pipestone Indian Shrine Association operates and stocks the items available at the gift shop,located in the southeast corner of the Pipestone National Monument Visitor Center. PipestonePublishing/Mavis Fodnesscan use the devise’s reader to connect to theInternet.In the meantime, the Shrine Associationcontinues its work to preserve the art of pipemaking into the next generation, he said.“Pipe carving is a vanishing art,” Rambowsaid. “There is no book to read on how tocarve a pipe. It’s something that has to comefrom the heart and unfortunately you’re notpaid an hourly wage to do it -- it’s an act oflove to carve a pipe.”For fourth-generation artisan Erickson,he said he was the only one of five siblingswho was drawn to ceremonial pipe makingand his children are not interested incontinuing the craft.“Spirituality is 24/7. It’s not just when youput a peace pipe together or burn sage,”he said. “We’re talking to the Spirit Worldbecause we want to know, want to learn --we’re exchanging information and ideas –energy is constantly moving.”Job WellDone on75 Years!CongratulationsFor 75 GreatYears!CongratulationsOn Your75thAnniversary!75 YEARSas the area's premiertourism destination!Congratulations!JEREMY WHIPPLE - PRESIDENT/MANAGERMIKE MANDERSCHEID - OUTSIDE SALESJAY REMACLE - INSIDE SALESDARRELL DISBROW - RETAIL/COUNTERKEVIN JERZEK - MANAGERKinner &Company Ltd CPAsTaxes, QuickBooks andInvestmentsResults Accountants 825-5274 S&STRUCK REPAIR 507-825-3477Locally owned for over 29 years!

6 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012MONUMENT LAND FORMATION: THESPIRITUAL AND THE GEOLOGICBy Kyle KuphalBefore and for many years after Europeanscame to southwest Minnesota, the area was avast prairie. Artist and ethnographer GeorgeCatlin recorded his thoughts on what waslater named the Coteau des Prairies andwhat is now known as the Buffalo Ridgeas he stood atop the ridge in the 1830s,according to his notes later published in thebook “North American Indians:”“This wonderful feature, which is severalhundred miles in length, and varying fromfifty to a hundred in width, is, perhaps, thenoblest mound of its kind in the world; itgradually and gracefully rises on each side,by swell after swell, without tree, or bush orrock (save what are to be seen in the vicinityof the Pipe Stone Quarry), and everywherecovered with green grass, affording thetraveler, from its highest elevations, the mostunbounded and sublime views of — nothingat all — save the blue and boundless ocean ofprairies that lie beneath and all around him,vanishing into azure in the distance withouta speck or spot to break their softness.”Nearly the entire prairie is gone now, butthe native prairie grasses can still be seenon the 301 acres of the Pipestone NationalMonument. The native prairie that has beenrestored at the Monument makes the landunique, but it is the red stone within thatprairie land that made the area sacred.The spiritualThe pipestone quarries play a central rolein many creation stories passed down byNative Americans, including the following:ThenSome Native Americans believe these boulder fragments — called the Three Maidens — harborthe spirits of three young women who watch over the quarries. Some leave offerings at therocks before they begin quarrying. Geologists say the boulders were carried here from Canadaby a glacier during the last ice age and left behind when it receded. Pipestone Publishing/KyleKuphal“An old man came down to earth andconvened the medicine-men and chiefs oftwo rival tribes. Despite his exhortationsto live in peace and the earth’s bounty, thetribes fought one another. The blood of theslain flowed down a river and formed “thered pipestone.” The old man made a pipe forthe Indians; where he stepped was formed abluff.”— Philip Deloria, Dakota“In the time of a great freshet, which tookplace many centuries ago, and destroyed allthe nations of the earth, all the tribes of thered men assembled on the Coteau du Prarie,to get out of the way of the waters. After theyhad all gathered here from all parts, thewater continued to rise, until at great lengthit covered them all in a mass, and their fleshwas converted into red pipe stone. Thereforeit has always been considered neutral ground— it belonged to all tribes alike, and all wereallowed to get it and smoke it together.While they were all drowning in a mass,a young woman, K-wao-tah-w (a virgin),caught hold of the foot of a very large birdthat was flying over, and was carried to thetop of a high cliff, not far off, that was abovethe water. Here she had twins, and theirfather was the war-eagle, and her childrenhave since peopled the earth.”Land formationContinued on page 6THANKYOUFORBRAVOfor 75 years!Thanks for75 Years ofService!75Years ofService!PIPESTONE NATIONALMONUMENTHwy 30 @ 8th Avenue SW Construction LLCLicensed & Bonded ~ License #BC-2031642507-347-3167 507-347-3292Cell 507-820-1980 Cell 507-820-0128 www.chsmarshall.comThe HistoricCALUMETINN104 West Main StreetPipestone, MN 56164507-825-5871 or 800-535-7610Visit us on the web at www.calumetinn.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012 PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR – 7Land formationContinued from page 5— George Catlin’s notes on the creation of thepipestone quarries as told to him by the Cree andChippewaThe geologicGeologists believe the formation of thered pipestone, for which the city, the countyand the Monument are named, beganmore than a billion years ago, according to“Managing the sacred and the secular: Anadministrative history of Pipestone NationalMonument,” published in 1992.The pipestone is tucked in shale-likelayers 16-to-20 inches thick within a1,500-meter thick layer of Sioux quartzitethat stretches across southwest Minnesotawest of Lake Benton southward along theCoteau des Prairies, which is thought to bethe elevated remains of an ancient mountainrange.Geologists believe the Sioux quartzite,which is harder than ordinary steel, wasformed about 1.6 billion years ago whenerosion began to wear down the PenokeanMountains in the Lake Superior region andthe gneiss-granite terrace to the south. Thaterosion produced quartz sand.More than a billion years ago, geologistsbelieve, clay was deposited with the quartzsand at the bottom of a sea that covered thearea. During millions of years of advancingand retreating seas, the grains of thesediment layers were buried deep belowthe surface where they were subjected toextreme pressure and heat. Those conditionsturned the sand into quartzite and the clayinto pipestone.Quarriers visit the Three Maidens when it was still surrounded by prairie. Some Native Americansbelieve the Three Maidens harbor the spirits of three young women who watch over the quarries.Some leave offerings at the rocks before they begin quarrying. Geologists say the boulders werecarried here from Canada by a glacier during the last ice age and left behind when it receded.Photo contributed by Pipestone County Historical SocietyNowLater, geologists say, pressure beneath thesurface caused the rock beds to rise closerto the surface where erosion eventuallyrevealed the pipestone.Much of the surface in Pipestone Countyis still covered with glacial sedimentdeposited by different drift sheets. Thesediment covers most of the Sioux Quartzite,but in some areas around Pipestone, Jasperand Luverne, the Sioux Quartzite — usuallypink, but sometimes almost white or redpurplein color — is exposed.North of Pipestone, Pipestone Creekflows over the layer of quartzite and thepipestone is found near the surface. Theease of access to the stone, which is aboutas hard as a fingernail and easily carved,gave the area its practical and ceremonialsignificance to the Native Americans,according to “Managing the sacred andthe secular: An administrative history ofPipestone National Monument.”SACREDORIGINSBy Kyle Kuphal“The Great Spirit at an ancient period,here called the Indian nations together,and standing on the precipice of the redpipe stone rock, broke from its wall apiece, and made a huge pipe by turning itin his hand, which he smoked over them,and to the North, the South, the East, andthe West, and told them that this stonewas red — that it was their flesh — thatthey must use it for their pipes of peace —that it belonged to them all, and that thewar-club and scalping knife must not beraised on its ground.”-A Sioux story reflecting the importance ofthe pipestone quarry as recorded by GeorgeCatlin“’Behold this and always love it! It islela wakan [very sacred], and you musttreat it as such. No impure man shouldever be allowed to see it, for within thisbundle there is a sacred pipe. With thisyou will, during the winters to come, sendyour voices to Wakan-Tanka, your Fatherand Grandfather.’After the mysterious woman saidSacred originsContinued on page 12Congratulationson 75 YearsThanks for75 yearsof enjoymentfor everyone!CONGRATSON 75 YEARS!SWEET TOWNSHIP MUTUALFIRE INSURANCE COMPANY Insure locally soyour dollars areinvesteddailyThank You for75 Years of ServiceFarm & HomeAgency Inc. Pipestone, MN507-825-3222On the Jct. of Hwy 23, 30 & 75PIPESTONE CO.IMPLEMENT507.825.42031116 State Highway 23Pipestone, MN 56164www.deerequipment.com620 7th St. SW, Pipestone(507)825-2859Ivan EvinkLicense #003440PMJamie ReickLicense #008514PJ

8 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012SUSTAINING THE SACRED,By Mavis FodnessPRESERVING THE PRAIRIEThousands of years ago, the landscapearound Pipestone was covered in varyinghues of 2-to-6-foot tall prairie grasses,stretching as far as the eye could see. Notrees obstructed the view, allowing a clearprospect of the natural rock outcroppings.The Pipestone National Monument wasdeveloped in 1937 to conserve a small partof that view seen by American Indians andlater by European settlers to the Pipestonearea.“The tall grass prairie is 99 percent gonedue to development and conversion toagriculture,” said Seth Hendriks, Monumentbiological science technician and actingnational resource program manager.Within the Monument’s 301 acres,Hendriks said 81 acres is designated‘pristine grasslands’ – land geologic studieshave determined has not been disturbed bythe plow. He said these areas look differentthan areas that have been farmed or used asroads.“It’s generally healthier,” Hendriks said.“If we were to lay a meter square down,you might count 20 (plant) species in a onemeter square.”Disturbed prairie lands may only havethree species, he added.An ethnobotany study conducted bythe University of Arizona in 2004 talked tovarious American Indians and practitionersof herbal medicines and provided a list ofnative grasses and herbs found on nativegrasslands. These species are included inWith only 1 percent of tallgrass prairie left in existence, the Pipestone National Monument has 81 out of its 301 acres classified aspristine prairie, and is working to restore and preserve more of the native grasses as a connection between the American Indian andtheir sacred pipestone quarries. Pipestone Publishing/Mavis FodnessPrairieContinued on page 10THANKYOU!THANKYOUfor 75 years of service.Congratson75 Years!Congrats! We appreciateyour dedicationto the PipestoneCommunity!916 4th Avenue SW, Pipestone, MN 56164www.pcmchealth.org | 507-825-5811SOUTHWEST202 8th Avenue SEPipestone, MN 56164(507) 825-0055Heated pool, game room, playground, campfires,hiking, biking, golf & fishing nearby.507-825-2455www.pipestonervcampground.com919 N. Hiawatha Ave. Pipestone, MN 56164Dr. Angela Miller220 W. Main St.Pipestone, MN 56164DYNAMIC HEALTHChiropractic, Ltd.Call 507-825-4225 or888-869-2429 for more informationor to schedule an appointment

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012 PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR – 9MEET THE MONUMENT STAFFCUSTODIANS &SUPERINTENDENTS OFPIPESTONE NATIONALMONUMENTCustodiansJ.W. Balmer Jan. 1, 1939 —Jan. 1, 1940Albert F. Drysdale Jan. 2, 1940 — Nov. 10,1947Lyle K. Linch March 1, 1948 —Dec. 4, 1948The current staff of Pipestone National Monument, l-to-r: Andrew Van Ruler, Swede Crow, Clark Burmeister, Mary Schwebach, GlenLivermont, Kayla Gasker, Meg Viland, Terry Gusler, Seth Hendriks, Mark Calamia, Don Scott, Brett Ford, Ed Johnson, Jonathan WendellTaylor Boelman. Not shown: Curt Frain, Cody Goraczkowski, Emily Schoephoerster, Taylor Delaney, Mike Bender. Pipestone Publishing/Debra FitzgeraldSuperintendentsLyle K. Linch Dec. 5, 1948 —July 17, 1954Harvey B. Reynolds July 18, 1954 —Sept. 29, 1956Paul L. Webb Sept. 30, 1956 —April 30, 1960W. Dean McClanahan June 1, 1960 —Dec. 8, 1962Carl L. Stoddard Dec. 16, 1962 —July 18, 1965Ralph K. Shaver Aug. 1, 1965 —April 20, 1968Cecil D. Lewis, Jr. April 21, 1968 —June 13, 1970Clarence N. Gorman June 14, 1970 —Aug. 21, 1971Don R. Thompson Sept. 5, 1971 —Jan. 5, 1974David Lane March 31, 1974— Sept. 4, 1982Vincent J. Halvorson Nov. 28, 1982 —April 29, 1994Palma Wilson Sept.18, 1994 —Dec. 5, 1998M. James LaRock Jan. 31, 1999 —Jan. 3, 2008Glen H. Livermont May 25, 2008 —presentWe Salute theMonument on75 Great Years!Thank Youfor 75 Years ofCommitmentto theCommunityWe ApplaudYour HomeTownCommitmentTHANKYOUFOR 75YEARS!Eric Brockberg,CFP(R)Financial AdvisorRaymond JamesFinancial Services, Inc.Located at First Bank & Trust eric.brockberg@raymondjames.comwww.raymondjames.com/ericbrockbergDEBOEREDGERTONSecurities offered through Raymond James Financial Services,Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and are not insured by FDIC, NCUA,any other government agency or any other financial institutioninsurance, are not deposits or obligations of the financial institution,are not guaranteed by the financial institution, and are subject torisks, including the possible loss of principal. Raymond James is notaffiliated with the financial institution or the investment center.© 2010 Raymond James Financial Services. Inc., member FINRA/SIPC10-BDMKT-0426 FID 10/101507 7th St. SE | PO Box 754Pipestone, MN 56164Office: 507-825-2026Fax: 507-825-2027930 S. Main St., Edgerton, MN507-442-4341 or 800-658-2395“EXPERIENCE THE SMALL TOWN DIFFERENCE!”www.deboerchev.com

10 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012Prairie Continued from page 8the park’s general management plan.“A large chunk of the vegetation out here is useful tothem some way or another either in their ceremoniesor their medicines,” he said. “Sage - they would use it intheir kinnikinnik or tobacco and they would burn that as acleansing agent before their ceremonies.”According to Monument interpretive information onkinnikinnik, it is an Algonquin word meaning “that whichis mixed” and is any combination of common plantssmoked by various Indian tribes in ceremonial pipes.Wild tobacco was rarely smoked alone, but mixed withbearberry, spearmint or peppermint and/or a host of otherprairie plants such as prairie rose hips, smooth sumac,white sage and red osier dogwood, among others. Eachplant mixture for smoking was a personal choice, having aspecial meaning to only one person.Made up of different varieties of warm and cold seasongrasses, the tallest grasses - Indian and big blue stem -grow to a height of 6-to-7 feet and sprout yellow and blueflowers, respectively, Hendriks said. Sideoats grama andlittle blue stem grasses reach heights of about 2-to-3 feet,with sideoats grama being bluish-green in color and littleblue stem being a smaller version of the big blue stem andsometimes called ‘turkey feet’ or ‘beard grass’ due to theshape of its seed heads. Depending on the season, viewsof the prairie can appear yellow, purple, red and orange, hesaid.Among the plants living in the park are arrowhead, sage,native prairie rose and smooth sumac, a small shrubbytree, whose leaves American Indians would also use inkinnikinnik, Hendriks said.Prescribed burnsA tallgrass prairie does not contain mature trees,Hendriks said. Lightning strikes would ignite sections of thevast grasslands and the fires would creep along the ground,eliminating tree saplings and dead undergrowth. As moreof the prairie was settled and turned over for agriculturaluse, prairie fires were extinguished and trees such as oak,elms and ash grew to mature heights, making them moreresistant to fire, he said.The Monument began a rotational prescribed burnsystem about 40 years ago, which mimics Mother Nature’srole in preserving the tallgrass prairie, and burns aboutone-third of its prairie grasses each year, Hendriks said.In 2012, however, wind direction did not cooperate andthe burn, conducted by National Park Service-trainedwildland firefighters, did not take place. He said the burningalso places nutrients back into the soil, improving thegrassland’s overall health. The trees currently in the park,which grew during the timeframe of no prescribed burns,are allowed to stay in the park, Hendriks said.“It’s supposed to be native tallgrass prairie but there is amixture of trees and scrubs in there as well,” Hendriks said.“And exotic and invasive species, of like smooth brome andthistles.”Between burns, the park system has put in a system tocontrol the non-native plants species brought into the areaby European settlers, he said.Invasive plant species“We have to preserve these areas for enjoyment of futuregenerations,” Hendriks said citing the mandate from theOrganic Act of 1916.For the Monument, preservation means controlling the19 invasive plant species located in the park.Hendriks said each summer the park service hiresseasonal employees to pull or cut invasive plants from thetallgrass prairie and/or wetlands before it can reach theprairie areas. One such invasive plant, Dame’s rocket, is2-to-3-feet in height and has large, fragrant white, purpleor pink flowers located in ditches and under trees.“A lot of people think it’s really pretty but it can take overan area quite quickly if it’s not controlled,” he said. “Thenall you’re going to see is that and it is only going to flower fortwo to three weeks and then it is going to be stalks of deadstuff the rest of the time.”Other invasive plants include European buckthorn, whiteand yellow sweet clover and thistles, Hendriks said.Milkweed, though not native to the prairie grasslands, isnot an invasive plant and is allowed to grow throughout thepark.“The reason we don’t control it is because of the monarchThe western prairie fringed orchid is one of two endangeredspecies existing at the Monument. The other is theTopeka shiner.population,” Hendriks said. “That’s been struggling latelyand it’s a big food source for them.”Seed gatheringDue to the unique varieties of prairie grasses at theMonument, Hendriks said the last Saturday in September isthe park service’s Public Lands Day. This year, the collectiondate is Sept. 29.For a couple of hours, participants receive instructionson native grasses and spend time hand gathering variousseeds to be used to restore disturbed prairie grass areas, hesaid.“We will drill it in the ground and let it sit for the winterbecause warm season grasses need a winter out there in thesoil before they come up,” he said.In the spring, Hendriks said they would control the weedsbecause the grasses won’t emerge until June.Other areas may be planted by hand or broadcast using anall-terrain vehicle with an attached seed spreader, Hendrikssaid. Due to its unique genetics, only seeds gathered fromthe Monument can be planted. This year due to the summerdrought conditions, there may not be a lot of seed gatheredto complete as much of the tallgrass prairie restoration asplanned, such as restoring native grasses around the ThreeMaidens area, he said.Bird counts“We have grassland birds that, if they stop cominghere, we know our prairieland is not in very good health,”Hendriks said.Grassland birds need prairie in order to build nests, hesaid, and if they do not have a suitable breeding locationthey will move to another location, or may simply die.“And their populations are declining,” Hendriks said.Each year in late May when the birds are mating, hesaid he conducts bird counts to know how many speciesare making the Monument their home. Hendriks said theyhad good counts of dickcissel, sedge wrens, bobolinksand meadowlarks in the 68 different monitoring pointsthroughout the park during this May’s bird counts.“By doing it in May, we may miss the ducks that passthrough when it is wet, but that is not so important becausethe ducks are not breeding here, they are just passingthrough,” he said.Ducks counted this year included pintails, blue-wingteals and wood ducks.Every four years, a U.S. Geological Survey is conductedthat details all birdlife in the park, Hendriks said.Other mammals“For mammals, we are a little short, but we have plentyof deer,” he said.Currently, Hendriks said the Monument does not have amanagement program for the limited amount of mammalsliving in the 301-acre park. He said a game camera set outlast fall captured images of red fox, woodchucks, raccoons,skunks and ferel cats.“Mammals are more resilient than a lot of other species,”he said. “They are not a high priority because they canmanage on their own.”The deer population is monitored by the MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources and if they start makingnoticeable trails through the prairieland, that agency iscontacted for management, Hendriks said.Endangered speciesOn the federal threatened and/or endangered species listare two species that are closely monitored by Monumentstaff: the Topeka shiner and the western prairie fringedorchid.While Lake Hiawatha and Pipestone Creek do not containgame fish and fishing is not allowed at the Monument,Hendriks said the area contains several bait varieties suchas blue gill and white sucker along with the endangeredTopeka shiner.“They decided that this fish was important to theecosystem and it needed to be protected,” Hendriks said.At the Monument, the threatened orchid is also findinggrowing success.“We counted 722 this year and that’s the most we’ve hadsince we began counting,” he said.Thank Youfor 75 years ofPaving the WayFULLERPAVING1092 161st St Pipestone, MNSteve Fuller (507) 825-3226Stan’sElec tric701 2nd St. NE, Pipestone(507) 825-5352Happy75th Anniversaryto thePipestone NationalMonument!915 7th Street SE, Pipestone, MN 56164507.562.1100866.936.STAYCROSSINGSINN.COMCongratulationsOn YourAchievement of75 Years!Meulebroeck, Taubert& Co., PLLPCertified Public AccountantsPipestone825-4288Luverne283-4055Russell823-4391Tyler247-3939Lake Wilson879-3538

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012 PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR – 11INSIDE THE VISITORCENTERBy Mavis FodnessAn average 77,000 people annually overthe past decade have visited PipestoneNational Monument to learn more aboutpipestone and its meaning to the AmericanIndian or to walk trails surrounded by thetall prairie grasses that used to cover mostof the upper Midwest.The Monument Visitor Center is openseven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. andis closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas andNew Year’s Day.“The grounds are never closed,” said GlenLivermont, Monument superintendent.He said there is a $3 per person charge atthe center’s front desk and the receipt allowsaccess for seven days. The area around theVisitor Center is not mowed to promotegrowth of tall prairie grasses.Located in the center’s lobby, theinformation desk is the first thing visitor’ssee. U.S. Park personnel are available toanswer questions or provide directionsto the Monument’s various attractions,including the Circle Trail, the gift shop, thecultural center and the quarries.The desk is also where visitors age 8 andolder can complete a Junior Ranger book.“It gives you a good education onwhat you’re going to see,” said EmilySchoephoerster, a Monument interpreter,to visitors from Minneapolis. “It’s a goodintroduction.”Each page includes tidbits of informationsuch as pipestone is about as hard asa fingernail and ceremonial pipes aremistakenly called peace pipes. The pipesare important for religious use by AmericanIndians for carrying prayers to the GreatSpirit.Auditorium: “Pipestone: An UnbrokenLegacy”Visitors are able to watch a 22-minutedocumentary “Pipestone: An UnbrokenLegacy” in the center auditorium. Thedocumentary explains through an Indianelder named Red Spider the sacredness ofthe Monument area and its importancein American Indian culture. It also showsviewers how the pipestone is still quarriedtoday by hand and how unusual the stone iscompared to the other red stone.The documentary was produced by theNational Park Service (NPS) and earnedthe Best Documentary Short at the 2009American Indian Film Festival. The awardsits on the information desk when visitorsenter the information center.MuseumLocated next to the auditorium is theMonument’s museum.“It’s where people can learn the history,the significant story, of the pipe,” Livermontsaid.Red stones from other U.S. quarries andhistorical items such as an actual AmericanIndian headdress and feathered staff arelocated in the museum. Viewers are alsointroduced to non-native visitors: PhilanderPrescott, George Catlin and Joseph Nicolletwho let the world know about the sacredPipestone site.Interpretive CenterOutside the museum is the hallway to thegift shop and cultural center operated bythe Pipestone Indian Shrine Association inpartnership with the Monument. Along thishallway are exhibits, some hands-on, thatinterpret the American Indian’s relationshipwith the Monument lands and quarries andwhat visitors would see if they choose thethree-quarter mile walk around the CircleTrail.“People can touch and feel the wallexhibits,” Livermont said.One exhibit allows visitors to try theirhand at filing and cutting the soft pipestone.The bench set up explains how weatherelements and intense pressure has formedthe pipestone. Another exhibit showsthe grasses and flora that can be used inkinnikinnick and another exhibit has a rowof grasses that make up a tall grass prairie.An historical timeline of the Monumentis also located in this area. Livermont saidthe timeline is based on input from the 23American Indian tribes affiliated with theMonument and its history. The timelinegeneralizes many of the words and eventssince each tribe had its own languages andhistories, he said.Behind a dividing wall are 13 stones thatused to circle the Three Maidens, a sacredsite that visitors pass as they enter theMonument grounds. On each stone are rockengravings, called ‘petroglyphs,’ that depicthumans, animals and geographical figures.“Whoever carved them has a story,”Livermont said. “No one knows what theyactually represent.”GalleryJust off the gift shop area is a small galleryhousing many of the historical items madefrom pipestone or beadwork. Livermontsaid some items were received before theMonument’s inception in 1937.Viewing deckOutside the visitor center is a viewingdeck depicting three scenes of the landCONGRATULATIONSAND THANK YOUFOR BEING A PARTOF OUR COMMUNITYHwy 30 West, PipestonePhone: 507-825-3652Fax: 507-825-4625www.hanksfoods.comClockwise from top: 1. The Visitor Center. 2.The most recent displays at Pipestone NationalMonument are a timeline and petroglyphs likethis one on 13 stones that used to surroundthe sacred area of the Three Maidens. 3. Themuseum at the Pipestone National Monumentoffers information and hands-on displaysabout the early quarrying of pipestone,ceremonial pipes and early explorers tosouthwest Minnesota. 4. “End of the Trail” is apipestone sculpture included in the gallery atthe Pipestone National Monument. PipestonePublishing/Mavis Fodnessaround the Monument.The first scene shows the connection ofthe prairie to the American Indians with thesecond showing quarrying, as it would havebeen done hundreds of years ago. The lastscene is a graphic showing the landscape ofa tall grass prairie.CONGRATULATIONSON A GREAT 75 YEARS!PIPESTONE PUBLISHING CO.

12 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012The evolution of Pipestone National MonumentGeologists believeclay was depositedat the bottom ofa sea where overmillions of yearsheat, pressure andchemical reactionstransformed it intopipestone.The datearcheologistsplace on theearliestpipestoneartifacts.Archeologicalevidence showsthat quarryingintensified duringthis time period.French fur tradersreport visits to the“village of the redstonequarry.” It isthe first report of awhite personvisiting thequarries.Explorer Philander HenryPrescott records thefirst written account ofa white person visitingthe quarries. Other whiteexplorers includingGeorge Catlin (1836) andJoseph Nicollet and JohnCharles Fremont (1838)visit quarries.WadsworthLongfellowpublishes “TheSong ofHiawatha,”which references“the great RedPipe-stoneQuarry.”PipestoneNationalMonumentcreated on115 acres ofland.Circle trail developed(1950). Additionalacres, including theThree Maidens area,are transferred to theMonument, bringingtotal park land to 282acres by 1957. TheVisitors Center opensin 1958.Today, the Monumenthas 301 acres; ninefulltime employees;and 23 affiliated tribes.1 billion years ago1000 B.C.700-1200 A.D. 1700 1830s 1855 1937 1950s2012 - 75thAnniversarySacred originsContinued from page 7this, she took from the bundle a pipe, andalso a small round stone which she placedupon the ground. Holding the pipe up withits stem to the heavens, she said: ‘With thissacred pipe you will walk upon the Earth; forthe Earth is your Grandmother and Mother,and She is sacred. Every step that is takenupon her should be as a prayer. The bowlof this pipe is of red stone; it is the Earth.Carved in the stone and facing the center isthis buffalo calf who represents all the fourleggedswho live upon your Mother. The stemof the pipes is wood, and this represents allthat grows upon the Earth. And these twelvefeathers which hang here where the stem fitsinto the bowl are from the Wanbli Galeshka,the Spotted Eagle, and they represent theeagle and all the wingeds of the air. All thesepeoples, and all the things of the universe,are joined to you who smoke the pipe — allsend their voices to Wakan-Tanka, the GreatSpirit. When you pray with this pipe, youpray for and with everything’.”-Black Elk, LakotaThese are a few of the many stories thathave been passed down over the years aboutthe sacred origins of the pipestone quarriesand the pipes made from the stone.Archeological surveys have revealedthat beginning around 1,000 B.C., artifactsmade of pipestone from the area around1106 8th Street S.W., Pipestone, MN 56164(507) 825-4201 Open 6am-MidnightPipestone National Monument were tradedas far east as modern Ohio, as far south asthe Kansas River, and as far west as northcentral South Dakota, according to thebook “Managing the sacred and the secular:An administrative history of PipestoneNational Monument,” published in 1992.Later examples of pipestone from theMonument area have been found all acrossthe North American continent.Archeologists say quarrying intensifiedbetween 700 A. D. and 1,200 A. D. when itappeared many different groups had accessto the quarries. This was most likely due tothe introduction of horses after the arrivalof Europeans, which gave the tribes moremobility and brought more people to theplains. By the 1600s, Otoes, Omahas, Iowasand other tribes were quarrying pipestone.White Frog of the northern Cheyenneexplained in 1914 that members of a warparty traveling toward the Missouri Riverwere the first Cheyenne to discover thequarries.“Along the way, they spotted a redbuffalo bull, which they killed,” he said. “Oninspecting the bull’s body, they realizedthat the red color came from dust and mud,which covered the animal. They followedthe bull’s trail and came to a ‘wonderfulplace where there were rocks and all therocks [were] bright red.’”Simon Antelope of the Dakota describedin 1927 the ceremonial use of the quarries.“The Indians, after digging a hole in theground and getting down to the rock theywere intending to remove, would take someof their paints and do various paintingsthere and offer up a prayer,” he said. Theywere not praying to the rock itself, but tothe great master, the Great Spirit, God; inother words, that this rock they intended toget out, that it would be easy to them andthey would have no difficulties in gettingit. In connection with their trip there theywould put other declarations on the rocksas an offering to the Great Spirit.”By the mid-1700s the Yankton Siouxcontrolled much of the area around thepipestone quarries and trade associatedwith pipestone became an important part oftheir economy, according to “Managing thesacred and the secular: An administrativehistory of Pipestone National Monument.”Records show that Europeans becameaware of pipestone in the mid-1600s, butdidn’t know where the stone came from untilmuch later. Father Louis Hennepin wroteabout the Sioux’s use of the pipe in 1683.In 1700, French trader Pierre Charles LeSueur identified a “village of the red-stonequarry,” suggesting that Native Americanswere living at or near the quarries at thetime.By 1830 an increasing number of whiteEuropeans were coming to the regionsearching for economic gain. As thisexpansion occurred, the United Statesgovernment sent out explorers such asMeriwether Lewis and William Clark. Otherexplorers also headed out into the frontier,including Philander Prescott, the firstfrontiersman to leave a written accountof the pipestone quarries, according to“Managing the sacred and the secular:An administrative history of PipestoneNational Monument.”The book says Prescott and his partyvisited the quarry in 1831 or 1832 andfound a 100-yard long quarry, 10-feet deepwith a one-foot layer of pipestone in it. Themen “blasted” the quartzite layer above thepipestone and collected enough pipestoneto make about 20 pipes.The man credited with bringing themost attention to the quarries was artistand ethnographer George Catlin, whovisited in September 1836 - and for whomthe pipestone was later named Catlinite.Catlin, who recorded his observations inletters and notes that were published in abook titled, “North American Indians,” wasstruck by the quartz formation around thequarries and the unique red stone withinand intrigued as to its formation. He notedthe evidence of a great number of tribeshaving visited the quarries over manyyears.“Here are to be seen (and will continueto be seen for ages to come), the totems andarms of the different tribes, who have visitedthis place for ages past, deeply engraved onthe quartz rocks,” he wrote.In 1838 Joseph Nicollet, a Frenchscientist, and John Charles Fremont, anexplorer, were hired by the U.S. Army Corpsof Topographical Engineers to survey andmap western Minnesota and located thequarries on survey maps. Six members ofthe party carved their initials in the pieceof quartzite near leaping rock during theirvisit. The initials are still visible today,nearly 175 years after their visit.The visits by people like Catlin and theNicollet and Fremont expedition broughtnotoriety to the area and it became part ofthe popular culture of the United States andEurope at the time. The most prominentexample is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’sepic poem “The Song of Hiawatha,”published in 1855, which referenced “thegreat Red Pipes-stone Quarry” and thepipes made from it.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012 PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR – 13ALTERED GROUNDSTHE MONUMENT GROUNDS MAY ONE DAY LOOK QUITE DIFFERENTBy Debra FitzgeraldCreated in 1958, the MonumentVisitor Center was constructedunder the National Park Service’s“Mission 66” project.Under Mission 66, architectsand planners developed theconcept of the ‘visitor center’to streamline and standardizevisitor services at parksnationwide. Approximately 100Visitor Centers were built duringthe 10-year program (1956-66),according to the National ParkService (NPS).Immersion within the naturalresource was one of the principlesguiding the construction of thosecookie-cutter structures to drawvisitors into the park lands.“So that’s why we are in thequarries,” said Glen Livermont,superintendent, about theVisitor Center’s existing location.“We recognize now that it wasan insensitive move to NativeAmericans and the spirituality ofthis place.”The goal now is to reducedevelopment in the heart ofthe Monument and to preservethe setting, the site history andthe spiritual significance of theMonument as the source ofpipestone.Those goals will create aMonument that will look verydifferent in the future.The existing Visitor Center andparking lot will be razed and anew structure built outside theresource. The two ranch-stylehouses would be removed and theland restored to prairie. The entryroad would be shortened to end ina small parking area at the southquarry entrance for quarriersand visitors with disabilities, andanother entrance with parking,restrooms and a trailhead wouldbe constructed on the east side ofthe park off North Hiawatha Ave.above Winniwissa Falls.These plans and more arecontained within the “FinalGeneral Management Plan/EnvironmentalImpactStatement” for the Monument –a 325-page document finalizedin 2008 that took eight yearsto create and required publicinvolvement throughout theprocess.The move is not likely to takeplace in the near future. A sitehas not been identified for anew Visitor Center. The siteselection process would includea comparative study of potentialsites involving analysis, scopingand public input.“It takes time; lots of time,”Livermont said – a minimum oftwo years, he added. And first,“we have to find those sites tohave something to analyze,”which involves an additionalprocess of community and NPSoutreach.Livermont said he had nomoney in the Monument budgetgoing out to 2017 to even startlooking at potential sites. And asfar as the construction of a newVisitor Center, “there’s not even away to apply for that money rightnow,” Livermont said, becausethe NPS is not accepting newconstruction projects at thistime.“Certainly, it will depend uponthe economy” additionally,Livermont said. In the currenteconomic climate, “how canwe rationalize building a newbuilding?”In the meantime, changesmade to the Visitor Center inthe near future must eitherbe portable or put on hold.Since 2008, for example, theMonument has been addingcleaner energy sources with afleet of solar-powered vehiclesand 27 solar panels on the roofof its maintenance building tocharge those vehicles. Eventually,he said he would like to power theVisitor Center with solar energy.“The paradox is, this issupposed to be torn down,”Livermont said.FUTURE GLIMPSEThis map from the Monument’s long-term planning document shows howthe Monument may look at some point in the future. The most significantchanges are the removal of the Visitor Center and houses from out of thenatural resource. The site where the future Visitor Center would be located isnot shown because no site has been identified at this point in time. Source:Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Study - PipestoneNational MonumentThe City of Pipestone wants tocongratulate the Pipestone NationalMonument on its 75th anniversary. Weappreciate all you do for our community!Thank You for yourcontribution to Pipestonefor the last 75 years!NATIONAL BANKMember FDIC. And the community507-825-3324107 East Main StreetPipestone, MN 56164Electronic Banking:1-866-733-3444(507) 825-3301www.ffmbank.com

14 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012THE SUNDANCEBy Kyle KuphalUnique among the many programsand events held at Pipestone NationalMonument each year is the “Gatheringof the Sacred Pipes Sundance” held everysummer.Clyde Bellecourt, or Nee-Gon-Nway-Wee-Dung (Thunder Before the Storm)brought the Sundance to the Monument22 years ago after he visited the place andrecalled it from a vision. The Sundanceis a ceremony of prayer, fasting andpurification.“You dance for four solid days, you fast— no food, no water,” Bellecourt said. “Theidea is to purify your body.”The Sundance begins with Tree Dayduring which a tree is selected and carriedto the site of the Sundance. The tree signifiesthe umbilical cord, Bellecourt said, whichconnects the dancers to mother earth.“We wear skirts like women becausewe’re going through four days of labor,” hesaid. “We’re trying to show the women thatwe support them. We thank them for givingbirth to us. Now we’re going to give birth toa nation.”On the fourth day, Bellecourt said, thedancers are considered purified and readyto be born again. The dancers are piercedthrough the chest and tied to the tree,representing their connection to MotherEarth.“You’ve got to dance until you pull away,”Bellecourt said. “You ask the creator to letyou live again, to be a warrior, to be sober,free from drugs, do not abuse your wife,don’t hurt people anymore, be a strongwarrior, feed and take care of your people.And when they break (free from the tree),they’re born again.”He said the Sundance is not only forthose who participate, but for the healthand happiness of the whole earth.“We pray for everyone,” Bellecourt said.“Every single day we go out there and facethe sun and sing and dance all day, prayingfor everybody around us.”Joe Morales, the leader of this year’sSundance that took place the first weekendin August, said 20-to-30 dancers participatein the ceremony each year and hundredsmore attend to support the dancers. Thepublic is invited to observe the ceremonyas long as they are respectful and follow therules that are explained as they enter theSundance area.Above, top: Sundance participants carry a tree cut from the Hiawatha Pageant Grounds to the Sundance site in 2010. File photo Above, bottom: Volunteers dig the hole for the tree in the centerof the Sundance area Tuesday, July 31, in preparation for this year’s Sundance. The wooden structure around the perimeter of the circle area was covered with tarps to shelter viewers from thesun. Pipestone Publishing/Kyle KuphalCongratulationson 75 Years ofDedication!Thank Youfor your 75 yearsof service to thePipestone area.PRIMEYour Source for• Ceramic Floor Tile• Hardwood Flooring• Carpet• Furniture• Vinyl Linoleum• Window Treatments• Complete Home FurnishingsRIBDouble D. Gravel, Inc.Doug & Annette DubbeldePipestone, MNfrom the students,staff and faculty ofCOMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE A member of the Minnesota State Colleges andUniversities System. ADA accessible. An affirmativeaction equal opportunity education/employer825-5552 WWW.MNWEST.EDUPipestoneInteriors204 West Main Street, Pipestone, MNPhone 507-825-4277 | Toll Free 1-800-859-4277STARTING AT 6:00pm201 Broadway St., Trosky, MN507-348-7732

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012 PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR – 15By Debra FitzgeraldINTERPRETING THE MONUMENTJust as Pipestone National Monument’sVisitor Center was constructed with a late-1950s philosophy, so were the interpretiveexhibits constructed inside the center thatteach visitors about the significance of thesite.Unlike the relocation of the MonumentVisitor Center, which will take yearsto accomplish, the exhibits have beenchanging and will continue to do so with “theAmerican Indian context more prominentthan it is now,” said Glen Livermont,Monument superintendent.An early exhibit would have containedan American, Spanish and French flag, forexample, showing historic settlement of theregion.“Territorial expansion was importantback then, but is that a really important partof the significance here,” Livermont said.“It’s important to history nationally, but nothere. So who was here? American Indians.This is a sacred site for American Indians. Inculture, in heritage, it’s their land.“This isn’t just a tall grass prairie, it’shugely important in the lives of theAmerican Indian,” said Livermont, whohas served the Monument for 12 years,four of those as superintendent, and whois himself half Ogalala Sioux from the PineRidge Reservation in South Dakota.Bringing out that American Indiancontext means creating relationships withthe 23 tribes that are officially recognized ashaving an affiliation with Pipestone NationalMonument. Those tribes are spread acrossKansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska,and South and North Dakota.To help with developing thoserelationships, Livermont hired MarkCalamia in 2011, a West Texan who holdsa Ph.D. in cultural anthropology. Calamiais the first at the Monument to fill the newposition of cultural resources programmanager and tribal liaison.“Reaching out,” is what Calamia has beencharged to do, Livermont said, “to help mebring the tribes into the fold.”One of the ways he will do that is bycontacting each of the tribes and invitingthem to jointly develop with the Monumentprogrammatic agreements that spellout specific needs, requirements andstipulations the tribes may have when itcomes to the Monument’s management ofthe resources.Some of the other projects Calamia is nowleading and may undertake in the future areas follows:Oral History ProjectFunded by the Regional NPS office,Calamia is conducting interviews with andrecording the oral histories of 11 AmericanIndians from both Dakota and Ojibwe tribeswho have experience with the pipestonequarries. Once transcribed and proofed, thehistories will document from the AmericanIndian perspective those people who havefirst-hand knowledge on the use of thequarries; its meaning; their relationshipto others who have used the quarries; andtheir perspective on management andprotection for future generations not onlyof the Monument’s mineral resources, butits plants.Calamia said he will be finished takingthese oral histories by the end of thisfiscal year, which ends Sept. 30 for theMonument.Exhibits like this map hanging inside the Visitor Center at the Monument increasingly interpretthe significance of the Monument grounds from the perspective of the American Indians whoconsidered the land a sacred site well before territorial expansion and the immigrant stampede.Pipestone Publishing/Debra FitzgeraldHistoric Resources StudyWith support from the Regional NPSoffice, the Monument has issued a requestfor proposals for the Monument’s firstHistoric Resources Study. The study willcomplete a basic, historic documentation byproviding a comprehensive synthesis of theMonument’s story and resources throughboth primary and secondary resources,including interviews, printed materials andhistoric information.The contract will be let by September –Calamia said likely professionals who wouldrespond to the RFP would be historians orethnohistorians. Once the contact is let, thestudy has a completion deadline of twoand-a-halfyears.“This is a major synthesis,” Calamia said.InterpretingContinued on page 16Congrats on75 Years!LookingForward to theNext 75 YearsPIPESTONEPRIDECatch it. Support it. Pass it on.Congratulationsto the PipestoneNational MonumentFirst Bank & Trustwould like to honor thePipestone NationalMonument!A Sacred SiteRich in Beautyand TraditionJER’SELECTRIC, INC.421 St. Hwy. 30, Pipestone, MN507-825-2072Pipestone 507-825-0095Brookings 605-692-6040Sioux Falls 605-543-6000Madison / Howard / Harrisburg101 2ND STREET NW 825.3344WWW.BANKEASY.COMM E M B E R F D I C

16 – PIPESTONE COUNTY STAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012ON THE HORIZONBy Debra FitzgeraldThe future of Pipestone NationalMonument, like all properties within theNational Park System (NPS), depends uponfederal budget allocations.As the Monument celebrates its 75thanniversary, NPS cuts are pending tohelp balance the country’s budget deficit,according to Glen Livermont, Monumentsuperintendent.Parks budget five years out and for 2017,their budgets must project a 5 percentdecrease, Livermont said. Maintaining thenine full-time employees the Monumentemploys remains a priority for him.“We’ll function with whatever they giveus,” he said.Dependent upon its federal allocation as itis, the Monument nevertheless could be andwill be impacted by future developmentson the global, national, regional and localhorizons that exist outside budgetaryrealms.Below are a handful of those issues heldon the Monument’s radar as it heads intothe future.-Hunting in National Parks – Houselegislation was introduced this year thatcould open up the park system to hunting.While that bill has not gained ground, theallowance could be a part of the NationalPark System’s future. If that were to happen,Livermont said the hunts would be statemanaged,as hunts are now, with thestate in consultation with the Monumentdetermining allowances and limits. Deer,pheasant, and possibly turkey would bethe only game to hunt locally if it were everallowed.-Wind power – If an opportunity openedup for more wind farms surrounding theMonument, it wouldn’t necessarily havea positive impact on the natural resource,as the Monument’s viewshed could benegatively impacted by nearby windturbines.-Global climate change – “The rest of thepark land is pretty finite as it is,” Livermontsaid. “What it is now, that’s what it’s goingto be.” Though the area of Monument landmay not change much in the future “Twentyfiveto 50 years from now, this (climate) willbe different and how will that impact thetall grass prairie,” Livermont said. In orderto gain some understanding of the climaticfuture, the Monument is in the process ofwriting a request to the NPS to fund a globalclimate change impact study.“That study will tell us how the prairiewill change,” Livermont said – andconsequently the plants American Indiansuse for spiritual and medicinal value; theaccess to the quarries American Indiansneed to mine pipestone; and the culturallegacy of American Indians derived fromboth of those things.“Ultimately, this will help us bettermanage the resources for the public andthe American Indians,” said Mark Calamia,Monument cultural resources programmanager and tribal liaison.-Former Pipestone Indian TrainingSchool Superintendent’s house – Thoughthe structure and its land on the outskirts ofMinnesota West Community and TechnicalCollege is privately owned, the Monumenthas taken on some responsibility for thestructure in the form of a programmaticagreement signed between it and the StateHistoric Preservation Office. Talks arealso to be held in the near future with theprivate owner, who has offered to donatethe structure to the Monument. Thoughhistorically significant to the Monument,the National Park Service will consider manyfactors before deciding whether to acceptthe gift, Livermont said. Chief among thoseis the anticipated high costs to renovate thedilapidated building.Interpreting Continued from page 15Monument Guest Speaker SeriesThe Monument kicked off this seriesin June by hosting a talk given by AdamFortunate Eagle Nordwall, a former studentof the Pipestone Indian Training School andauthor of “Pipestone: My life at an IndianBoarding School.”The frequency of future guest talks has notbeen established, but will target speakerswho can generate and provoke thoughtand understanding about the AmericanIndian interest in the community, the park,its history and other cultural interestssignificant to the Monument and region.Historic Archeological StudyOn the wish list for future projects isan Historic Archeological Study of what’sknown as the “Pipestone Indian SchoolTrash Grounds” – the area where the formerIndian Training School would throw itstrash. Located on land owned by U.S. Fishand Wildlife, managed by the MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources andadjacent to Monument land, the studycould yield historic artifacts pertinent toMonument history.The study is not currently funded. Futureavenues of funding could be provided bygrants, or if a university or college chose thesite as an archeological field school.75 YEARSWay to go!JOBWELLDONE!Thank Youfor a great75 Years!Congratulations!THANK YOUfor all youhave done!CropProductionServices (507)825-5403www.pipestonemndentist.com www.titanmachinery.comCULLIGAN WATER CONDITIONING www.culliganswmn.comJct. Hwys. 23 & 75Pipestone, MN 56164507-825-2008