Indian God Rock is a large boulder in the northwestern part of the

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. Located near the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

of Brandon, it lies along the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

in Venango County's Rockland Township. It is significant for the large

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

on one of its sides. Because of the petroglyph, the rock has been an explorers' landmark, a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

, and an object of scholarly investigation.

Geology

One of many large boulders lining the banks of the Allegheny River in Venango County, Indian God Rock is composed of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

and measures approximately 22×14×10 feet,Hopey, Don. "Heavy History". ''

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'', 15 April 1993. C1, C2. or 7×4×4 meters by another measurement. As sandstone is an easy material to carve, the rock was an ideal surface for the creation of

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

Early history

Among the fifty-five different figures present on Indian God Rock include geometric shapes and depictions of humans and animals in a range of positions. Two of the carvings appear to be images of

archers Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

; these two figures are the only known representations of archers in the Native American rock art of the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

valley. One scholar has held that the resemblance between certain figures on the rock and drawings on extant

birch bark scrolls A ''wiigwaasabak'' (in Anishinaabe syllabics: , plural: ''wiigwaasabakoon'' ) is a birch bark scroll, on which the Ojibwa (Anishinaabe) people of North America wrote with a written language composed of complex geometrical patterns and shapes ...

indicates that the rock was used by tribal

shamans Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of th ...

, and he proposes that the rarity of martial themes among the carvings indicates that the carvers were members of a peaceful culture. Indian God Rock is not the only petroglyph site in Rockland Township; another, known as the "Rainbow Rocks Petroglyphs Site," is located at a significantly higher altitude near the community of

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...

, Swauger, James L. ''Rock Art of the Upper Ohio Valley''.

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: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1974. approximately to the east. The date of the petroglyph is uncertain; it is believed to have been carved at some point after AD 900, but most likely after 1200. The

terminus ante quem A ''terminus post quem'' ('limit after which', sometimes abbreviated TPQ) and ''terminus ante quem'' ('limit before which', abbreviated TAQ) specify the known limits of dating for events or items.. A ''terminus post quem'' is the earliest date t ...

for its creation is 1749, when it was recorded by multiple members of a French expedition along the Allegheny. At this time, the rock was plainly invested with religious meaning; according to one member of the expedition, accompanying Native American guides "regarded the rock with superstitious reverence." Besides recording the rock and their disdain for the "savages" who created it, the expedition placed two

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

plates at the site as evidence of their presence. During the nineteenth century, Indian God Rock became a popular tourist attraction — steamships on the Allegheny would often stop to allow their passengers to examine the petroglyph.

Modern history

Deterioration

In recent decades, the Indian God Rock has suffered significantly from

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

and

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

. Since the nineteenth century, visitors have cut their names into the rock, and recent years have seen the use of

spray paint Spray paint (formally aerosol paint) is paint that comes in a sealed, pressurized can and is released in an aerosol spray when a valve button is depressed. The propellant is what the container of pressurized gas is called. When the pressure hol ...

by some individuals. Although archaeologists have highlighted the carvings in the past, the figures are now somewhat difficult to see.

Recognition

In the twentieth century, Indian God Rock became the object of significant archaeological investigation for the information potential of its carvings. Its place as the first Ohio River valley petroglyph to appear in written records and the continued scholarly attention to its carvings has caused it to be seen as the premier example of monumental rock art in its region. The

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

has recognized the rock as one of the most significant of the seventy-five Native American archaeological sites in the portion of the Allegheny River that has been designated a

National Wild and Scenic River The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-f ...

. In 1984, it was further recognized when the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

added it to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Accessibility

In 1982, the rock lay on the

right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

for a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

line operated by the

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

. Today, the rail line is closed; instead, the Middle Allegheny River Water Trail passes near the rock, and hikers can view the rock from a lookout along the trail.Middle Allegheny River Water Trail - Trail Guide
,

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is an independent state agency responsible for the regulation of all fishing and boating in the state of Pennsylvania within the United States of America. Unlike many U.S. states, Pennsylvania has a sepa ...

. Accessed 2009-12-08. As in the nineteenth century, Indian God Rock is also visible from watercraft on the Allegheny River.

Geology

Early history

Modern history

Deterioration

Recognition

Accessibility

See also

References

Further reading