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<< Our Photo Pages >> Bighorn Medicine Wheel - Stone Circle in United States in The Northwest Mountains

Submitted by bat400 on Sunday, 28 June 2015  Page Views: 15773

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Bighorn Medicine Wheel Alternative Name: Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark, Big Horn Medicine Wheel
Country: United States
NOTE: This site is 63.702 km away from the location you searched for.

Region: The Northwest Mountains Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Lovell, Wyoming
Latitude: 44.826160N  Longitude: 107.92166W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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TamiBartels would like to visit

mfrincu visited on 21st Jun 2015 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 I visited this place aiming to catch the summer solstice sunrise and sunset here. While it was cloudy for the sunset the sunrise offered a magnificent view and the stone alignment was perfectly visible.

bat400 visited on 1st Jan 0000 From a parking area, you'll need to walk nearly a mile (one way) over a saddleback to where the structure stands on a flat area on the slope of the mountain. The walk is on a graveled roadway, and is not difficult. However, be prepared for wind, sun, and the altitude, which can be taxing for many people.

Bighorn Medicine Wheel
Bighorn Medicine Wheel submitted by baz : The Bighorn Medicine Wheel in the snow. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Medicine Wheel in Bighorn County, Wyoming. On a windswept mountain a ring of piled rock 75 feet in diameter surrounds a central cairn. Twenty eight "spokes" of stone connect the two structures. The outer ring of stone is studded with "U" shaped cairns. The largest concentrations of these sun wheel structures are in southern Alberta. Others are larger, but Wyoming's Medicine Wheel enjoys one of the most spectacular locations of any. Medicine Wheel lies on the end of a natural ridge line, at an altitude of over 9600 feet in the Bighorn National Forest

Although sun wheels are still used by native people as ceremonial gathering places, they predate European contact. Previous excavations and sampling at Medicine Wheel show the central cairn to have been built on a lower original surface. Its age is estimated at 500 to 800 years old. Other sun wheels are been shown to be over 1000 years old.

Not all sun wheels are the same size or shape as Medicine Wheel. And although some of the cairns in Medicine Wheel have been shown to have astronomical alignments, other sun wheels do not seem to have them. Native peoples have identified them as markers for gatherings. Some are attributed as memorial markers to great men of the past.

In the recent past sites like these, with active ceremonial activities still being practiced on what are now Federal lands, had no particular special status. Now they are treated as a special class, so there are occasional times that the site is off limits to non-Indians or those who are not active participants in a ceremony. These times seldom last for more than a few hours, and are not frequent. However, as a spiritual site, you will see offerings, not unlike cloth, coins and medals at a holy well.

The site is 3 miles off Highway 14A which is only consistently open from May through October. Call the highway department for road conditions during shoulder seasons. The last mile and a half is limited to foot traffic, although the road is a fine dirt track. The only thing difficult about the walk is the altitude, and possible weather problems. I visited in mid June with patches of snow and a brisk wind.

[Information from Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office and the Provincial Museum of Alberta.]

Note: Mfrincu experiences the summer solstice sunrise at the Bighorn Medicine Wheel, see the latest comment on our page for his account
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Bighorn Medicine Wheel Solstice Sunrise Panorama
Bighorn Medicine Wheel Solstice Sunrise Panorama submitted by mfrincu : 2015 solstice sunrise at Bighorn medicine wheel. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Bighorn Medicine Wheel Solstice Sunrise
Bighorn Medicine Wheel Solstice Sunrise submitted by mfrincu : Cairn alignment during the 2015 summer solstice sunrise at Bighorn Medicine Wheel. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Bighorn Medicine Wheel
Bighorn Medicine Wheel submitted by bat400 : This sun wheel cairn arrangement is in the Bighorn National Forest, on Medicine Mountain. The fencing discourages casual vandals. Many visitors leave offerings. Photo by bat400, June 2001. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Bighorn Medicine Wheel
Bighorn Medicine Wheel submitted by AKFisher : Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming in 1995. There are several of these structures with quite a few in Canada. They are above timberlines and allow for astronomical alignments involved with certain rituals. From: Origins of the Gods (2022). Photo courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016).  (Vote or comment on this photo)

Bighorn Medicine Wheel
Bighorn Medicine Wheel submitted by bat400 : An example of one of the cairns around the outer ring of stone. The inner area is about big enough for someone to sit down in. Photo by bat400, June 2001.

Bighorn Medicine Wheel
Bighorn Medicine Wheel submitted by bat400 : Dirt road to the site. The sun wheel lies on the nearest side of the tallest part of the ridge, beyond the saddle. Hiking only for most visitors. Just a mile and a half from a parking area. It's an easy walk unless you are susceptible to the altitude - over 9000 feet - or the weather is poor. Note the patch of snow on the north facing slope. Have a hat and gloves handy and wear sunblock. ...

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"Bighorn Medicine Wheel" | Login/Create an Account | 8 News and Comments
  
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Bighorn Medicine Wheel at the 2015 Summer Solstice Sunrise by Andy B on Sunday, 28 June 2015
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mfrincu writes: The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is an ancient American Indian religious sanctuary built at over 9,642 feet (2,743m) in the Bighorn Mountains in NE Wyoming. The site is dated between 300-800 years old and it is still being used by many tribes during ceremonies. Before coming to this place some prepare spiritually for up to one year. Amazingly, the traditions of the wheel are still being passed from generation to generation. In my visit here on the 2015 summer solstice (June 21) I have witnessed an American Indian showing his son how to pray at this site and telling him that “this is not a tourist attraction, it is our way of life”. I was so touched by his dedication. The site is easily accessible by a 3 mile roundtrip from the parking lot and is open day long with rangers available on site for questions from roughly 8:30AM to 5:00PM. The weather on the mountain is changing rapidly and the high elevation means that you can find patches of snow even in summer, as I did.

What lead me to visit the wheel at summer solstice are its known alignments with the sunrise and sunset at that particular date. However, due to the small change in declination around that time I assume the alignment to be visible for at least a week before and after the exact date. What is intriguing about this construction is that it also exhibits stellar alignments. More precisely, it points to several heliacal risings before and after the summer solstice, marking its proximity and the end of summer. 28 days before the solstice the wheel anticipates it by aligning two of its cairns with Fomalhaut.

Similarly, the solstice is marked by the heliacal rising of Aldebaran (which in 1200-1700 A.D. rose heliacally 2 days before it). Finally, the heliacal rise of Rigel (28 days later) and Sirius (28 days after Rigel) would mark the gradual arrival of fall and the time to leave the mountain and head for the plains.

Not surprisingly, some of these stars are important in Cheyenne and Lakota traditions. The astronomical significance of the place does not end here and the wheel’s 28 spikes could refer to the 28 days in the American Indian lunar cycle or the days between the marked heliacal risings. More details on the alignments can be found at http://solar-center.stanford.edu/AO/bighorn.html.

The Bighorn medicine wheel is not alone, with over 100 wheels, smaller or larger, spread throughout NW US.

As I have mentioned earlier, my goal was to witness both sunrise and sunset on the summer solstice. One advantage of its remote location is that it does not receive a lot of visitors. In fact, for sunrise I was alone, witnessing the spectacular rise of the Sun over the mountains at around 5:30AM and the perfect alignment with two of the existing cairns. The anticipatory feeling and the magnificent landscapes make you forget that you are sitting in a cold weather at over 9,000 feet. At that moment you begin imagining what it would have been like for the ancient American Indians when they were coming here to perform their rituals at the summer solstice.

It is only after the sunrise that the morning wind begins to blow indicating that it is the time to descend from the mountain. The sunrise I witnessed was spectacular, with clear skies, in contrast to the previous afternoon when the evening was cloudy making me think that the sunset would be the same. As a result, I descended from the mountain to the Bald Mountain campground (which I recommend if you plan on witnessing this event) located roughly 4 miles away. Ironically, 30 minutes before the sunset the western skies cleared and the Sun appeared, just as I was contemplating the fact that I might miss the next day’s sunrise too.

For solstice and equinox “hunters” like me, these moments, where you forget about being sleepy or tired or alone in remote places, make you reflect on the wonders of the world and the skills of our ancestors. Th

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Link to Poster with view of the Bighorn Medicine Wheel by bat400 on Sunday, 19 July 2009
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First Prize in the Society for American Archaeology annual poster contest for 1997.
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Big Horn Medicine Wheel by archaeo on Wednesday, 21 January 2009
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One of many stone "wheels" on the American Plains, this is perhaps the best known of them. I posted a small photo gallery of my summer solstice visit here:
http://jqjacobs.net/blog/bighorn.html
44.826, -107.921

I have to comment that calling these "wheels" is inappropriate nomenclature. They are stone circles.
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Re: Medicine Wheel by Andy B on Tuesday, 29 August 2006
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Aren't there a lot of Medicine Wheels around North America? Is there a more precise name for it as it's a bit like calling one of our UK sites 'Stone Circle'.
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    Re: Medicine Wheel by bat400 on Tuesday, 29 August 2006
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    The generic term used by the Provincial Museum of Alberta and other sources of information I've found is "Sunwheel" or "Sun Wheel." Most of these structures are found in southern Alberta. There are really only a few in the United States. Some of them are larger than this one, some are smaller, and they come in a variety of "configurations."
    "Medicine Wheel" is the name Wyoming boosters gave to this one years ago to popularize it, and its the most common way this one is referred to.
    There are also a few modern sun wheels that have been made in public places.
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    Re: Medicine Wheel by bat400 on Tuesday, 29 August 2006
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    Andy. I tell a lie. On further examination, I am finding a lot more sources that are calling them "medicine wheels" although the Wyoming site appears to have been the first to use that name. So, I am unsure is "Sunwheel" is appropriate.

    Here is another Alberta Museum source:
    entry FAQ
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Re: Medicine Wheel by Ethelwulf on Sunday, 27 August 2006
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We often overlook native American stone sites, when we consider ancient places, here in Europe.
Good and educative article.
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    Re: Medicine Wheel by bat400 on Sunday, 27 August 2006
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    Thanks for the interest. I'll be adding more sites in the near future. I'd love it if you all could come and see these places.
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