Montana Rock Art & Heritage Project

This paper is a brief description of a project that I, Patti Hooker, and Kathy Burke have been working on for a number of years.  We are building a personal inventory of Native American rock art and early occupation sites in Central and South-Central Montana, and occasionally locations out of that focus area.  We are passionate about visiting these sites and feel very privileged to see such rich cultural locations.

The impetus of our work was the efforts of the Billings Archeological Society, a once vibrant group of amateur archeologists and enthusiasts who recorded their trips throughout this area.  Some of the notable members were Stuart Connor, Harold Hagen, Ken Fehyl, Al Hall, and John Rogers.  I was privileged to have Harold Hagen as my mentor in this field of study.

For the last few years our focus area has been Central and South-Central Montana.  The most significant discovery was a particular pottery location within the above-mentioned focus area.  We are optimistic that this discovery could be helpful in dating pictographs found in the direct vicinity.  These pictographs are thought to have been completed between 1100 and 1500 AD.  This date range is an approximation.  Analysis of the pottery may possibly provide more precise dating of the rock art.  Analysis of all the artifacts at the very least will provide a time frame for occupation. 

Other significant finds in this study area include two medicine wheels, numerous cairns, vision quest, and petroglyph and pictograph sites.

Each location visited has been recorded using GPS data.  The locations have not been publicized due to the potential of vandalism.

I have been active in hosting presentations in the form of Power Point slide shows for interested groups such as the Upper Musselshell Historical Society.  As noted above, no specific locations have been revealed to the public during any of the presentations.

For additional information feel free to contact Dave Eckroth – dave.eckroth@gmail.com