meeting place of the Sauk & Fox (Mesquakie) Tribes.
This rock is reportedly the place Black Hawk stood
when addressing his men. For both times of thanks
and prayers before a great hunt, and during wars
and skirmishes against other tribes, and against the
United States during the The Black Hawk War of
1832.
The rock itself is unmarked and located in a hard
to reach area behind The North Hill Catholic
Cemetery on N 6th Street. There is a steep and
muddy incline covered in loose vines, broken glass,
and bits of rusty sheet metal.
from the bottom of the bluff on
Bluff Road (or old
Highway 99). This climb is not as
steep, but broken glass and debris is
still a hazard... along with a small creek
and loose dirt and mud. Broken
grave markers and an old tire can
even be seen during this short hike.
It is best to be absolutely sure of one's
footing and test carefully the few hand grips that are found to
help pull you along.
Once you come up to the unmarked rock, it is almost lost at
first sight because of the dirt and grass around it. Much like
the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the
stone bridge is lost against the background of the area below
it, this rock almost disappears into the scenery. The rock is
oval shaped and hints of a much larger bolder buried deep
underground. Its about six feet across and three feet out of
the ground and reminds me of a large tortes shell in shape.
We trekked to the rock in early spring, before the grass and
leaves filled in the area. Once summer came, the path would
not only have been more difficult to climb, but the rock itself
may be grown over with vegetation.
