<< Other Photo Pages >> Skystone - Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature in United States in The West
Submitted by AKFisher on Saturday, 19 August 2023 Page Views: 1978
Natural PlacesSite Name: SkystoneCountry: United States
NOTE: This site is 48.662 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: The West Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature
Nearest Town: Bonney Lake, WA
Latitude: 47.154460N Longitude: 122.19469W
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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The Skystone is an andesite glacial erratic boulder in Bonney Lake, Washington. It was deposited approximately 13,000 years ago. The stone's height and width are 4.5 by 12 feet (1.4 m × 3.7 m) and it has over 20 pits pounded into its surface, presumably by the Puyallup tribe. The holes seem to point towards both astronomical and geographic features.
The holes point in the direction of Polaris, Sirius, the Little Dipper, and Orion. The stone may have also been used to predict lunar standstills.[4] Some of the holes align with the sun's position on the solstices,[2] which may have allowed Native Americans to predict the changing of seasons.[4] Pits in the surface of the boulder also appear to point towards Mt. Rainier, the peak of Mt. St. Helens (before it erupted), and potentially Mt. Adams, all of which have significance for local Native tribes.[4]
The stone is about one mile south of the former Naches Trail, and was apparently rediscovered when a suburban housing development was begun in 1999.[5] It is listed and preserved as an archaeological site by the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.[5][6][3][7]
See also:
Viking Altar Rock, a Minnesota erratic with pits drilled in its upper surface
References:
1. Jacobsen, Winona (2011-01-01). Bonney Lake's Plateau. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738582085.
2. Teresa Herriman (April 30, 2009), "Artifact rests in housing development", Bonney Lake Courier-Herald, archived from the original on 2016-03-04
3. Puyallup to preserve historic tribal observatory, Associated Press, January 27, 2004, archived from the original on April 9, 2016 – via HighBeam (subscription required)
4. Webster, Peter (2017-04-17). "[Dipity] ~ Mystery Of The Skystone ~". Retrieved 2017-03-15.
5. Beauchamp, Douglas (2013), "Bonney Lake Skystone", Rock Art Oregon: Rock Art in the West, Eugene, Oregon
6. Rob Tucker (January 26, 2004), "Bonney Lake, Wash., Preserves Puyallup Indians' Tribal Observatory", Tacoma News Tribune, Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, archived from the original on November 20, 2018 – via HighBeam (subscription required)
7. Brian Beckley (September 27, 2012), "Bonney Lake's historical treasures: Best of the Plateau 2012", Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter
Further Reading and Information:
Wikipedia
Miscellaneous
- "The night sky as a cultural resource", Official blog, Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, October 8, 2009
- James Hicks, "Bonney Lake Skystone", Strange Destinations
- Anna Edmonds, Skystone, Bainbridge Island, Washington: Battle Point Astronomical Association
- Doug Kirby; Ken Smith; Mike Wilkins, eds. (c. 2004). "Bonney Lake, Washington: Skystone – Mysterious Astro-Rock". Roadside America. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- Winona Jacobsen; Greater Bonney Lake Historical Society (2011). Bonney Lake's Plateau. Arcadia Publishing. p. 9–11. ISBN 9780738582085.
Directions: From downtown Bonney Lake, WA via Sky Island Drive E, 2.5 mi.
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