Attractions

But frequently their wanderings brought them back to Hoi-waukon, or Spirit Rock, a supernatural site atop a hilly prairie in North Dakota's farthest northwest county.

Today, the site where Native Americans once felt they could foretell the future is called Writing Rock State Historical Site, a unique example of life from the past.

At the site are two huge granite boulders covered with petroglyphs -- mysterious mosaics of patterns chiseled into the rocks, probably by prehistoric Plains Indians. 

THE ROCKS
No one knows the origin of the picture stories on the five-foot Writing Rock or its smaller counterpart. Anthropologists, historians and students of the Plains Indians believe the most plausible explanation is that Native Americans carved the figure.

One tradition, passed on orally in the Plains Indian culture, describes how members of a particular band could foretell the future by the changing pictures on the rocks. This supernatural power, according to tradition, vanished around 1930 when white settlers moved the smaller rock from its original resting place to a nearby spring.

While this explanation of Writing Rock is most plausible, other theories abound. Speculative writers have variously attributed the pictures, the most notable of which is a thunderbird, to travelers from lost continents, wandering Norsemen and explorers from Asia. Others have offered that the inscriptions are prehistoric maps of river courses and hunting grounds.

The obvious thunderbird, however, ties Writing Rock to a mythological figure common in the lore of the Plains Indians. 

PETROGLYPHS
The designs on the Writing Rock boulders are extraordinary examples of pictographic writing, a form of communication common to peoples who had no written language.

Though pictographs appear on many different kinds of mediums, including wood, textiles, and gourds, they all convey a message, express a fact, or register a thought. Pictographs on stone surfaces are called petroglyphs.

The Writing Rocks of Divide County are classified as "cup sculptures." Counterparts are found in Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, The Isle of Man, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and India, as well as in North and South America.

Both of the Writing Rocks are inscribed in much the same way as rocks in Georgia, suggesting that those who carved them were from peoples with origins in the southeast.

Yet talk of the origin of the petroglyphs remains speculation, a mystery that keeps us wondering of our past and never quite knowing for sure. 

THE HISTORY
Though the rocks were well known locally before 1930, they did not achieve wider fame until the formation of the Writing Rock Historical Society in 1931 by brothers Henry and Edgar Syverud. In 1936 the North Dakota Historical Society purchased the site and it was gradually developed.

A fieldstone shelter was erected around the large rock in 1956, and in 1965 the smaller rock, after being kept and studied at the University of North Dakota for 36 years, was returned to the historic site. 

THE PARK
The historic significance of the rocks may have long ago fallen prey to the ravages of time and weather were it not for strong supporters of its preservation.

Because of community efforts, a pleasant playground and picnic shelters now greet visitors to the fieldstone structure that protects the historic Writing Rocks.

The Syverud brothers, from Dagmar, Montana, first saw the rocks in 1919, and they lobbied for the rest of their lives for improvements to the site and protection of the petroglyph boulders. Appropriately, they both lived to witness the sale agreements that in 1936 transferred ownership of the 10-acre site to the State of North Dakota.

They also were instrumental in erecting road signs in 1952 and in getting approval to build the stone shelter in 1956. A special marker at the site pays tribute to the leadership that the Syverud brothers provided in turning the historic site into an attraction for visitors. 

 WRITING ROCK STATE HISTORIC SITE
Petroglyphs carved into two granite boulders give Writing Rock State Historic Site its name. Though their origins are obscure, the drawings probably represent the Thunderbird, a mythological figure sacred to Late Prehistoric Plains Indians. Outlines of the bird, showing its wings extended and surrounded by abstract designs, appear on both boulders.

The Thunderbird motif has considerable antiquity. It exists on bone pendants, pottery, and shells found on the northern plains and dated from the time of Christ. Within 200 miles are other, similar petroglyph sites.

The meaning of the Thunderbird is unknown. In plains Indian mythology, such beings often combat snake-like water monsters, but we can only guess their significance. Significantly, both Sioux and Assiniboine peoples consider the Writing Rock site to be sacred.

The Writing Rocks fuel the imagination. Indian legend says the inscriptions could once predict future events, but that power allegedly disappeared when the smaller boulder was moved to a nearby spring before 1919. Some writers speculate that prehistoric Norse, Welsh, or Chinese explorers carved the petroglyphs, and still others see maps in the twisting lines. These origin theories are dismissed by most authorities.

The smaller boulder was originally located some 200 feet southwest of its counterpart. In 1919 it was hauled to the University of North Dakota and remained there until 1965. The larger boulder has never been moved.

After two decades of local encouragement, Writing Rock site was acquired by the state in 1936. The efforts of Henry and Edgar Syverud spurred initial development, including tree plantings. The protective shelter over the rocks was built in 1956, and the nearby picnic area was developed with local contributions. The site is maintained by the Board of County Commissioners of Divide County.

The site is open May 15 to September 15. For information, contact the Historic Sites Division, State Historical Society of North Dakota, North Dakota Heritage Center, Bismarck, ND 58505 (701) 224-2666.