Inscription
A WITNESS TO TIME
The Minnesota River Valley is a witness to time. Rocks formed 3.8 billion years ago — some of the oldest in the world — lie exposed on the valley floor. These grey, pink and red granite rocks are memorials to a fiery young earth when molten rocks in the planet's interior pushed against the earth's crust, deforming it, creating mountains four miles high. For eons, water and ice relentlessly eroded the mountains, eventually leaving a subdued plain.
At the close of the last ice age, 12,000 years ago, mile-high glaciers melted, forming Glacial Lake Agassiz to the north of here. The outlet for the lake was Glacial Lake Warren whose torrent carved the large valley you see. The abrasive current streamlined the rock outcroppings which lay in its way. The roar of rushing water and tumbling boulders would have been heard for miles. Today, the gentle Minnesota River creates barely a whisper as it flows almost unnoticed in the shadow of its prehistoric glory.
Across the river, spearheads, knives, hide-scrapers, and other stone tools have been discovered in association with extinct forms of bison. These bison-butchering sites have dated human occupation of the valley to 6,400 years ago.
1992
Details
| HM Number | HM1B33 |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Minnesota Department of Highways series |
| Tags | |
| Historical Period | Pre Columbian |
| Historical Place | Other, River, Town |
| Marker Type | Other |
| Marker Class | Historical Marker |
| Marker Style | Mounted |
| Year Placed | 1992 |
| Placed By | Minnesota Department of Transportation |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Thursday, September 18th, 2014 at 5:09pm PDT -07:00 |
Pictures
Photo Credits: [1] MARTHA DECKER [2] MARTHA DECKER [3] MARTHA DECKER
Locationbig map
| Location Description | The "A Witness to Time" marker is mounted on a stone wall, part of a MNDOT scenic overlook along US 212/MN 23. This overlook should not be confused with the 1937 WPA-built Granite Falls Overlook, which is in town, right along the Minnesota River where US 212 and MN 23 branch off from each other. The two overlooks are apparently unrelated. |
|---|---|
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 15T E 301680 N 4963504 |
| Decimal Degrees | 44.79741300, -95.50744300 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 44° 47.8448', W 95° 30.4466' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 44° 47' 50.6868" N, 95° 30' 26.7948" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 320, 507 |
| Can be seen from road? | Yes |
| Is marker in the median? | No |
| Which side of the road? | Marker is on the right when traveling East |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 15060-15078 Co Rd 40, Granite Falls MN 56241, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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Show me all markers in: Granite Falls, MN | Chippewa County | 56241 | Minnesota | United States of America
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