<< 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 WheelCountry: 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:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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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.
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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