Visiting Instructions:
The rock art is located inside the Roche-A-Cri State Park. You must have a state park sticker to drive into the park. See the State Park web site for more details.
The "Historic Graffiti" sign reads:
Early Yankee settlers carved their names and initials on the rock wall. The earliest date recorded here is 1845. The height of the writing suggests that many of the names were carved by people standing on horseback.
In 1861, Company D of the Wisconsin 1st Cavalry Sharpshooters camped on this spot. The circular pock marks on the rock face may have been made by bullets fired at the rock during marksmanship trials held by this unit.
The "Hidden Meanings" sign reads:
Petroglyphs and pictographs were a form of communication. Figures like these appear on rocks walls throughout southern Wisconsin. Archaeologists find and record these figures. hoping some day to discover the messages that they hold. Although thought to be thousands of years old, the actual age of the rock art still remains a mystery.
The most common carving on the wall is a group of three lines, forming a fork-like shape. When the prongs are upturned, the figure looks like a bird track. When the prongs are turned down, the figure may represent a man. See how many of these fork—like shapes you can find.
The "Rock Paintings" sign reads:
Can you find the two pictographs, or rock paintings, here on the rock wall? These two pictographs were once bold red or orange but are very faint now. They may be ceremonial, depicting a mythical bird/man ancestor or clan symbol. Or, the figures may represent a man in costume, portraying a vision which he may have experienced.
Time and continued weathering will probably claim these figures within the next fifty years.
The "Messages in Stone" sign reads:
Since prehistoric times, people have used this rock wall to record messages. Look closely, and you can find two kinds of rock art here. Petroglyphs, or rock carvings. were drawn with a sharp tool such as a stone knife. Pictographs, or rock paintings, were drawn with a soft tool such as a reed or animal-hair brush.
Many figures were carved over other figures, so the rock wall appears to be a confusing array of lines and shapes. Refer to this simplified drawing of the rock art as you learn more about these ancient messages.
All of the figures are very fragile. Natural weathering and modern graffiti have caused them to fade. Please help preserve the rock art stay behind the railing and don’t touch the rock wall.
The "Half Moons and Canoes" sign reads:
The most prominent carvings on the wall are crescents. These figures may mark the year of a special astronomical event such as a partial solar eclipse. Or they may record an event associated with the half-moon in the lunar cycle. The crescents may also symbolize canoes. Indian historians say that canoes were sometimes stored nearby on Carter Creek.
Other carved figures, common on rock panels found in this area, resemble birds. These figures are most often said to be mythical “thunderbirds," but may simply represent hawks or eagles which frequent the area around Roche A Cri.