Secrets of the Bluffs

Guide to the Roadside: Secrets of the Bluffs 

(Used with permission from Dr. Susan Barker)

The Mississippi River Bluffs in Illinois are full of secrets.

According to an Audubon Magazine article in about 1976, the bluffs were sacred places. American Indians buried their dead on the top edge of the Illinois bluffs. They believed the the spirit of the loved one would travel on the last rays of the setting sun, the sky bridge, into the next world.
Mary Gail LePere Ketten's father, Clifford, told me he remembered when trees were cleared for a quarry near Falling Springs. As the earth was shoved off the rock, he said the bones literally tumbled off the edge.

Years later I was part of a field trip with Immaculate Conception School from Columbia. As we stopped below the Miles Cemetery mausoleum (on top the bluff) I told the story of the Sky Bridge to eighth graders and explained how some ladies hunting mushrooms had found a skull along the cliffs. They called the sheriff. It was determined to be an ancient skull. When I finished talking, the bus driver turned around and said "One of those ladies was my mother!"

You don't have travel far to find amazing things. They are right here in your backyard. Enjoy!

 (From Louann Brown: If you live near Illinois river bluffs, keep your eye out for petroglyphs and pictographs. American Indians created rock art near these types of sacred places.

Researching Illinois Rock Art

Monday July 2 - Wednesday July 4: Co-author Susan Barker and I visited three Illinois Rock Art sites to answer questions and confirm information for our book, "Hidden in Plain Sight: ILLINOIS Petroglyphs and Pictographs for Kids".  We visited a private site near Murphysboro, Millstone Bluff, and Piney Ridge Ravine. It was HOT. We were concerned about snakes and the difficult climbs but (despite our age) WE MADE IT! It would have been lovely in the Fall or early Spring. I recommend that if you want to go see these sites for yourself, don't go in the Summer.

Near Murphysboro:

 We were awestruck by the rock shelter here. Only a few feet off the road, it rises like a cathedral along the side of a bluff. Despite the fact that the images have been defaced (once during the 50's and more later) seeing the images in their space made it easy to see why the Native Americans would choose this spot for religious ceremonies. Seeing the images in person only confirmed the beauty of the contours especially in the birds and deer. The size and scale of the shelter was cathedral-like. Here are a few photos we took at the site.

Parked by the path

If you see the waterfall, you've gone too far.

Susan taking photos of the petroglyphs.

A handprint (?) and "Duck Boy"

Vertical ogee

Unidentified petroglyph and sunburst

Bird in flight

The deer

Four legged animal.

My students call this one "Fat Bird"

Anthropomorph: Man/Animal with spiritual meaning.

Can you find the anthropomorph in this photo?

To give you a sense of scale.

The rock shelter from the side.

Cross in circle is a repeated motif

Right hand petroglyph

Faded petroglyph: Animal?

Man.

Cross and circle

Announcing our pinterest page.

We've started a Pinterest page: Discover Rock Art. Here we are posting photos of petroglyphs, pictographs, and other related images listed by state. We have a huge file of international rock art too. It's hard for me as an artist, not to let my 20th century mind interpret the mostly pre-historic images. Like this one, that definately is "proof" that the stork delivers babies. If I ever discover the true significance....I'll pass it on.

About the Piasa Bird

The first documented encounter with an ILLINOIS pictograph was in 1673 when French explorers, Father Jacques Marquette and Pierre Joliet explored the Mississippi River. As their boats passed by the high limestone bluffs near the present-day city of Alton, Il. Marquette drew a sketch in his journal. Unfortunately, the journal was lost in the river later in the journey. However, Marquette described his encounter with the fearsome image as follows: 

"As we were descending the river we saw high rocks with 

HIDEOUS MONSTERS painted on them and upon which the 

bravest Indian dare not look.

They are as LARGE AS A CALF, with

HEAD AND HORNS LIKE A GOAT,

THEIR EYES ARE RED, 

BEARD LIKE A TIGER'S,

and A FACE LIKE A MAN'S,

Their tails are so long that they pass over their bodies and between 

their legs under their bodies, ending like a fish's tail.

They are painted RED, GREEN and BLACK

and so well drawn that i could not believe

that they were drawn by the Indians,

and for what purpose they were drawn

seems to me a mystery."

In 1678 a map maker drew the following image from the description.

 

Could the Piasa Bird be an underwater panther? Let me know your thoughts!

Welcome to Discover Rock Art

Welcome! We hope you will join us as we discover rock art done by American Indians in our home state of Illinois. Did you know 47 states have rock art sites? And we thought all those petroglyphs and pictographs were in the Southwest. Not so. Here are a few images from Millstone Creek, Pope County, IL. (near Glendale). The photos were taken in the 60's. Aren't they amazing?

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