Start with a visit at the Mower County Historical Society to see their collection of Chert Artifacts. A local guide would join you as the group heads out to the Quarry near Grand Meadows to view this unique Preserve!
Mower County is home to a very special archaeological site, which is only recently coming into public view. The Grand Meadow Chert Quarry Archaeological and Cultural Preserve, located northwest of Grand Meadow, is 8 acres of undisturbed oak savanna and 5 acres of restored prairie that had a unique role in Native American history. Among the scattered trees are 100 ‘chert’ (or flint) quarry pits, large holes left just as they were when dug by Native Americans seeking stone for making tools, between 400 and 3,000 years ago. Grand Meadow Chert is a type of high-quality stone, like ‘flint,’ that was used by ancestors of today’s Dakota-speaking people. They relied on this chert to make the chipped stone tools needed for daily living, including knives, hide scrapers, awls, punches, spear points and arrowheads.
in 1980 a local expert rock collector, Maynard Green, introduced the site to a team of archaeologists from the Minnesota Historical Society. The team confirmed Mr. Green’s astute interpretations, and the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry was officially recorded and later added to the National Register of Historic Places.
MCHS acquired from Maynard Green’s family his invaluable collection of artifacts, all found in Mower County over his lifetime. We are preserving and protecting those materials and making them available for researchers. Thanks to his family and to our supporters, you can see those artifacts on display at our main building in Austin. The exhibit highlights the Quarry and puts it in the context of Native American history in southern Minnesota over thousands of years.
Late spring and early summer are a great time to view the quarry and learn about this unique geology in Southern Minnesota! Advance tour reservations are required to secure a guide for this one-of-a-kind tour. Contact Discover Austin MN to get your reservations started!