April 3, 2021 – Millstone Bluff Hiking Summary

On Saturday April 3, 2021 Mark Motsinger lead a group of 14 hikers on a 3 mile hike throughout the area. The weather was sunny and ideal for hiking. The group included mostly returning hikers. Mark lead the group lead the group up the trail to the top of the bluff stopping at each of the sign posts explaining the history of the spot. Upon reaching the top Mark provided a long discussion on the history of prehistoric rock walls and Mark also had placed a bunch of orange ribbons in the ground the day before to showing the layout of the rock wall as determined by several archeological digs. Mark even took effort to bring a pair of divining rods and demonstrated that the divining rods showed the edges of the rock walls by detecting the differences in the soil between the rock walls and the native unexcavated soil.

Upon leaving the rock wall and old grave area, Mark lead the group to all three locations of the Millstone Bluff petroglyph groups. He provided a short discussion about the petroglyphs at all three locations. Mark referenced that most of the information he was talking about could be found within the Wheels Within Wheel report written by Mark Wagner and found at this link. http://esrara.org/files/Millstone_Bluff_Cosmogram_2007.pdf

Upon leaving the petroglyphs, Mark lead the group around the remainder of the bluff top and then proceeded around the base of the rock bluffs clockwise. While working his way around the bluff Mark pointed out 2 partially shaped millstones in all of the rock around the bluff. After lunch, Mark lead the group down to the revolutionary war Capt Isaac Rolston Grave which is located near Bay Creek. After leaving, the group proceeded around the base of the bluff and back to the parking lot. Before reaching the parking lot Bill Gilmour showed the group an old building site a short distance from the parking lot that Mark had not been to before. The site shows up on the following 1917 historical map of the area.