National Register of Historic Places

Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District

Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota

Listed

April 7, 1994

Type

District

Period

Pre Contact

Ref No.

94000345

About this property

The Grand Meadow Chert Quarry/Wanhi Yukan (GMC Quarry) is a 175-acre (71 ha) Indigenous archaeological site in Grand Meadow Township, Minnesota, United States that was an open pit mine where chert (or 'flint') was quarried. It is the source site for Grand Meadow Chert (GMC), and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District in 1994. Originally containing well over 1000 pits apparently dug sometime between 950CE and 1400CE, the GMC Quarry/Wanhi Yukan appears to have been the most extensively-utilized Native American site in Minnesota for providing stone for making tools, and the only example in the state where there is visible evidence of chert having been extracted through digging. Nearly 100 of those pits are still visible along the Wanhi Yukan Trail in a 15-acre (6.1 ha) surviving remnant referred to as the Preserve. Grand Meadow Chert has been found at archaeological sites in 52 counties in Minnesota, including at most precontact archaeological sites in the state that are identified as being ancestral to todays Dakota communities. It also appears at sites in Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota. The Dakota language name for the site, "Wanhi Yukan," means "There Is Chert Here." It was first documented in a 1994 atlas of Dakota place names.

Location

Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota

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Overview

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The Land

The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.

Geology

The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.

LiDAR Terrain

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Conflict & War

The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.

The Civil War

The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.

The Soldiers

The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.

Native Heritage

The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.

Settlement

Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.

The Community

How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.

Rivers & Rail

The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.

Notable People

The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.

Historical Maps

Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.

Finds & Access

Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.

Literature

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Spotlight

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Points of Interest

The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.

Timeline

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Questions about this property

When was Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District listed on the National Register?

Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 7, 1994.

What type of historic resource is Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District?

Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District?

The period of significance for Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District is recorded as the pre_contact era, specifically around 1000.

Can I research the history near Grand Meadow Quarry Archeological District?

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