At this site you’ll find a quartzite outcropping cliff, ranging from 10 to 15 feet in height, that runs the entire length of the 301-acre site. Beneath the quartzite is pipestone, this stone is sacred to American Indians and they have been quarrying the area for generations.
Located in Pipestone County, the state park is home to a dam and a stone bridge that were both constructed with Sioux quartzite. The craftsmanship of the bridge has earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Here you’ll also find lots of other great outdoor activities.
Redstone is located in New Ulm, MN and is part of a quarry now owned by New Ulm Quartzite Quarries. The first quarry on the site was established in 1858 by Michael Schulz of Redstone.
The outcroppings of Sioux quartzite has saved Red Rock Dells from becoming another farm to be tilled. Today you can expierence 611 acres where you’ll see a small creek that has exposed some of the Sioux quartzite, you’ll also see large gorge with a waterfall that’s more than 20 feet tall.
Scattered amid the prairie grasses are islands of Sioux quartzite outcroppings that span 23 miles, across Cottonwood County. The Red Rock Ridge is made of rock more than 1.6 billion years old. On some of the Sioux quartzite you’ll find carvings, or petrolyphs, created about 7000 years ago by American Indians.
The Sioux quartzite you’ll find here was estimated to be more than a mile thick and between 1.2 to 1.7 billion years old. In the 1880s quarries were in full swing in this area and remained active until the late 1890s. There are structures in the nearby town, Luverne, that are made from the stone from the quarries.
A project that started in 2001 by photographer and filmmaker, Jim Brandenburg, is now a prairie made up of more than 800 acres and preserved for public enjoyment. The prairie is home to a Sioux quartzite ridgeline that runs over a mile.
