Pipestone National Monument
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Pipestone National Monument |
Contact Information:
Pipestone National Monument
36 Reservation Ave
Pipestone, MN 56164
507-825-5464
http://www.nps.gov/pipe/
Size: 282 acres
Location: Pipestone National Monument is located in southwestern Minnesota, just north of the city of Pipestone. Follow signs from US 75, MN 23, or MN 30.
Description: For centuries American Indians have been obtaining materials for pipe making from these quarries, a practice that continues today. Although painter George Catlin was not the first white person to visit the quarries, he was the first person to describe them in print. Pipestone is known as Catlinite in his honor. The park includes the Upper Midwest Indian Cultural Center, which provides space for craftsmen to display their work and for demonstrations of traditional crafts to take place.
Activities: Points of interest include the Upper Midwest Indian Cultural Center, where you can watch cultural demonstrations from April through October. Park also includes the 3/4-mile Circle Trail through native prairie to the pipestone quarries and Winnewissa Falls. During the summer months you can join rangers along the trail to learn about the cultural traditions surrounding pipestone use, prairie plants and their medicinal use by Native Americans, or early European-American exploration.Operating
Hours:
The Visitor Center and Upper Midwest Indian Cultural Center
are open daily. From late May through Labor Day, hours of operation are from
8am-6pm; from Labor Day through late May, from 8am-5pm. All facilities are closed
on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.
History: Established on August 25, 1937.
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Monuments
See other Minnesota National Parks
