Journey to the Coteau des Prairies, S^c. 141 



This beautiful wall is perfectly stratified in several distinct hori- 

 zontal layers of light gray and rose or flesh colored quartz ; and 

 through the greater part of the way, both on the front of the wall 

 and over acres of its horizontal surface, it is highly polished or 

 glazed, as if by ignition. 



At the base of this wall and running parallel to it there is a 

 level prairie of half a mile in width, in any and all parts of 

 which the Indians procure the red stone for their pipes by dig- 

 ging through the soil and several slaty layers of the red stone to 

 the depth of four or five feet. From the very numerous marks 

 of ancient and modern diggings or excavations, it would appear 

 that this place has been, for many centuries, resorted to for the 

 red stone, and from the great number of graves and remains of 

 ancient fortifications in its vicinity, (as well as from their actual 

 traditions,) it would seem that the Indian tribes have long held 

 this place in high superstitious estimation, and also that it has 

 been the resort of difl"erent tribes, who have made their regular 

 pilgrimages here to renew their pipes. 



It is evident that these people set an extraordinary value on the 

 red stone, independently of the fact that it is more easily carved 

 and makes a better pipe than any other stone ; for whenever an 

 Indian presents a pipe made of it, he gives it as something from 

 the Great Spirit ; and some of the tribes have a tradition that 

 the red men were all created from the red stone, and that it 

 thereby is "a part of their flesh." Such was the superstition of 

 the Sioux on this subject, that we had great difliculty in ap- 

 proaching it, being stopped by several hundred of them, who 

 ordered us back and threatened us very hard, saying " that no 

 white man had ever been to it, and that none should ever go." 



In my notes on Manners and Customs of North American In- 

 dians, which will shortly appear, I shall give a very novel and 

 curious account of their traditions and superstitious forms about 

 this great medicine or mystery place. 



The red pipe stone, will, I suppose, take its place amongst 

 interesting minerals ; and the "Coteau des Prairies" will become 

 hereafter an important theme for geologists, not only from the 

 fact that it is the only known locality of that mineral, but from 

 other phenomena relating to it. The single fact of such a table 

 of quartz, resting in perfectly horizontal strata on this elevated 

 plateau, is of itself, as I conceive, a very interesting subject for 

 investigation, and one which calls upon the scientific world for 



