Carvings of archers, animals, and other mysterious images at Sanilac Petroglyphs State Park survive to document prehistoric Native American life and rituals for future generations, even as weathering and carved graffiti threaten to obscure this account of early Michigan.
I first visited the petroglyphs years ago with a cousin from California who wanted to see the carvings. We found them, after a two-hour drive to the petroglyph park, locked behind a five-foot fence (which proved no match those determined to see the carvings). The petroglyphs already showed signs of wear and vandalism that continue to concern state officials, the area's Native people, and archeologists.
Over the years, state officials tried protecting the carvings while providing access. Tim and I visited the petroglyphs several years after my first visit, and a sign on the fence instructed visitors to knock on the door of a nearby farmhouse and ask for a gate key if they wanted a closer look.
Docents greeted visitors during our latest visit to the site last year.
Sanilac's petroglyphs remained hidden for many years as vegetation obscured the 1,000-square-foot sandstone rock containing about 100 images.
Fires across the region in 1881 claimed one million acres of forest and 282 lives, but fire also revealed these petroglyphs that geologists determined to be 300 to 1,000 years old.
Sandstone is soft, so Native Americans easily carved figures into it. The stone's softness meant that subsequent generations found it easy to add their own names, doodles, and other graffiti. You can still readily see some of the petroglyphs at Sanilac, but modern-day graffiti and years of open exposure makes it difficult to see some of the fainter images or differentiate some original carvings from newer graffiti.
State officials tried to protect the Sanilac petroglyphs over the years, but discussions about jurisdiction and funding further protective measures continue to be a concern.
The site was under private ownership for many years, and Native Americans from a reservation in nearby Caro summered there as late as 1900.
The Michigan Archaeological Society purchased the land containing the petroglyphs in 1966, deeding it to the state five years later.
The wooden canopy and five-foot-tall fence I saw when I first visited offered the only protection for the carvings until seven years ago, when the state installed a 12-foot-tall chain-link fence to secure the petroglyphs when there was no onsite supervision.
An article in The Detroit News by Jim Lynch (May 21, 2011) covered the debate surrounding protecting the site, and questions about who should do so.
No one is sure what tribe did the carvings, but members of Saginaw's Chippewa Tribe feel a special connection, and responsibility, to the site, treasuring the petroglyphs and the ancestral wisdom they represent.
Area archaeologists, who say the tribe wants sole control over the petroglyphs and the 240-acre state park at the site, worry about maintaining access to the site and express concern that private ownership would limit scientific study and interpretation of the carvings.
Michigan's Department of Natural Resources currently pays about $15,000 annually for basic upkeep at the site.
Some state officials and archaeologists would like to see a glass enclosure to protect the prehistoric carvings, but with a projected $300,000 tab for such a structure, don't look for it any time soon.
The petroglyphs are still well worth visiting.
The approximately 1/4-mile-long trail to the petroglyphs pavilion is level and accessible for most visitors. The pavilion is generally open to visitors during the summer and staffed with interpreters 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday or by appointment.
Best petroglyph viewing times may overcast days when visitors can use a flashlight to highlight the images, as interpreters did for us when we visited the site last summer.
An easy 1.5-mile interpretive trail loops though forests and past remains of a 19th-century logging camp and historic Native American settlements. The trail is open 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.
Interpreters told me the park has open house events at the petroglyph pavilion in June and August. The first summer open house in 2011 is 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on June 25 and includes kids' crafts and history displays.
The local Chippewa tribe holds celebrations each summer (set for June 18 in 2011) when they gently cleanse the petroglyphs and offer cultural lessons in the Anishinabe language.
Check out the nearby Thumb Octagon Barn and Agricultural Museum when you visit the petroglyphs.
Want to learn more about the history and culture of Michigan's Ojibwe and other Midwest Native Americans? Check out Enduring Nations: Native Americans in the Midwest by R. David Edmunds, The Ojibwe of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota by Janet Palazzo-Craig, or Art of Tradition: Sacred Music, Dance, and Myth of Michigan's Anishinaabe, 1946-1955 by Gertrude Kurath, Jane Ettawageshik, and Michael D. McNally.
© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved
You have copied an error made by a previous reporter into your article.
The Michigan Archaeological Society purchased 240 (NOT 24 acres) acres containing the petroglyphs in 1966, deeding it to the state five years later.
Posted by: Theresa | May 31, 2011 at 12:19 PM
Theresa-Thanks for stopping by. I briefly wondered if the 24-acre figure was a typo when I first found it, but I found that 24-acre figure at several sources. It's entirely possible they could have taken the information from the same article where I originally found it.
I knew, and mentioned elsewhere in my article, that the entire park is 240 acres, but absent finding any source that said the Society bought the entire site in the 1960s (I just looked around again and failed to find anywhere that said they bought the entire 240 acres in the 1960s), I guess it's safest to just say the Society purchased the land that contained the petroglyphs without a specific acreage figure. So, I've gone ahead and made that change.
I appreciate your pointing it out as I always strive for accuracy :)
Posted by: Dominique King | June 01, 2011 at 04:26 PM
Dominique,
Perhaps I should have given you the link and information.
Please do not feel obligated to change your post.
"Between 1965 and 1967, the Michigan Archaeological Society (MAS) raised private funds to purchase 240 acres of property surrounding the Petroglyphs. MAS transferred the land to the State of Michigan in 1971."
Found on PDF page 31 of 45 -- from the proposed park plan, which you can find posted at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Park Plan pages, http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10365_31399---,00.html
You will also find a land use order for the park in the proposed plan. There are many links to this, here is one http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/NRC/June%2009/04LUOD09_Bay%20City%20RA_SnoMo%20Use_INFO%20ONLY_June.pdf
PDF page 4 of 5
"Sanilac petroglyphs historic state park, prohibited conduct.
(15) A person shall not do any of the following at the Sanilac petroglyphs historic SP:
(a) Enter into the fenced area containing the petroglyph rock when the entry gate is closed.
(b) Walk upon or otherwise come into contact with the petroglyph rock within the fenced area."
Unless there is a suspension of the order, there is to be no contact with the rock. This is fragile sandstone which the DNR has repeatedly stated will come off by touch. By the deed restrictions the DNR has to protect the petroglyphs or the property reverts back to the MAS. No suspension of the order means the DNR is in violation of the deed restrictions by allowing the cleansing.
The 'gentle' cleansing is a recent posting (within the last few weeks) by the Saginaw Chippewa in response to the MAS insisting that the DNR uphold the land use order. Prior to this the cleansing consisted of 4 generations soaking the fragile sandstone with water and abrading it with brooms made from tree branches taken from the nearby forest. (The reference for the 4 generations is in a technical paper, which is why I am not including this here.)
You must have visited the Saginaw Chippewa website to read about the 'gentle' cleansing. The new comments towards preservation are interesting as they do not mesh with past behavior. You can read what not to do at a rock art site here http://www.public.asu.edu/~rexweeks/Ethics.htm You can clearly see from numbers 1, 2, 4, and 6, that the past cleansing conducted is not in line with preservation. Smoke from the feasting fire can be clearly seen in the photos, along with the large logs for firewood. http://www.umich.edu/~ojibwe/community/sanilac/sanilac.html
Posted by: Theresa | June 02, 2011 at 05:31 AM
Theresa-Thanks for the Web citations and explanation. As for making a small change in the name of accuracy (and to not further perpetuate errors), it's part of the obligation I feel to my own readers :)
My main purpose here is to point out the site as an interesting stop for folks traveling in the area, and I hope that, between my article and your comments, people will have a better idea of how to best appreciate it and and to understand more about properly preserving it. Believe it or not, I've seen reviews about the site where visitors complain that debris isn't regularly swept away from the petroglyphs.
Posted by: Dominique King | June 02, 2011 at 01:01 PM
Dominique,
I need to offer a correction.
When I said "The 'gentle' cleansing is in response to the MAS insisting that the DNR uphold the land use order." That is my personal opinion, there has been no announcement from any one.
The DNR has been concerned with how best to proceed to protect the carvings and to be inclusive. A structure over them would help to keep debris off.
I hope people do visit the park when it is open.
I have read about your travels and I know that many find your site interesting and informative. Please keep up your good work.
Posted by: Theresa | June 02, 2011 at 04:14 PM
Theresa-I hope people will visit the park, too. The docents did a nice job of showing the petroglyphs to us and giving us some background about them. The trail loop is also a nice one for folks who aren't heavy-duty hikers or who have younger children. Most people I know don't seem to be aware of the park at all.
Thanks for your kind words about Midwest Guest. I especially enjoy writing about places that have a sense of history about them and making people aware of some of the real hidden gems in our region.
Posted by: Dominique King | June 02, 2011 at 06:34 PM