Ontonagon Boulder
Encyclopedia
The Ontonagon Boulder is a 3,708 pound boulder of native copper
originally found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
, United States, and now in the possession of the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History
, Smithsonian Institution
. The boulder is a relic of the mining rush to the Michigan Copper Country
, and was well known to Native Americans in its location on the west branch of the Ontonagon River
, in what is now Victoria Reservoir. According to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the boulder was used by tribe members to make offerings to its manitou
(spirit) and to seek improvement in their health and well-being.
heard word of the massive solid copper boulder. In 1667, the redoubtable Jesuit missionary Claude Dablon
made his way up the Ontonagon and confirmed the existence of the fabled rock.
A century later, under the guidance of a party of Ojibwe, trader Alexander Henry laid eyes on the rock, and reported that he found it to be so pure and malleable that he was able to easily remove a large piece, and estimated the boulder's weight at ten tons. In 1819, during his geological survey of the area, Henry Schoolcraft
reported that he found the rock to be scarred by the chisels and axes of Native Americans, and estimated its copper content at one ton.
Rights to acquire and remove copper from the Ontonagon area were ceded to the United States in 1826 (Treaty of Fond du Lac
) and in 1842 (Treaty of La Pointe
). Prior to extracting the boulder in 1843, Julius Eldred paid a sum to the head man of the Ontonagon for the privilege. The boulder was removed from the south fork of the Ontonagon River in 1843 by Mr. Eldred and transported to Detroit, Michigan
, where it was confiscated by the War Department. It was taken to Washington, D.C., and remained in the possession of the War Department until 1860, when it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution
.
. Consultations were held with the tribe in 1998 and 1999, including a visit to the area in which the boulder was originally located. In 2000, it was recommended by the Repatriation Office that the Ontonagon boulder does not fit the definition of sacred object under the repatriation law, and the right of possession belongs with the Smithsonian Institution.
As of 2011, the Ontonagon boulder is located in the National Museum of Natural History
, but it is currently behind the scenes. It was to be installed in the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals when they opened, but at the last minute, engineering concerns led to a veto. A new exhibition of the Boulder is being planned.
A replica of the Ontonagon boulder can be found at the Ontonagon Historical Museum. While various numbers are given for the boulder's weight, the most commonly accepted figure is 3,708 pounds.
Native copper
Copper, as native copper, is one of the few metallic elements to occur in uncombined form as a natural mineral, although most commonly occurs in oxidized states and mixed with other elements...
originally found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
, United States, and now in the possession of the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
, Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. The boulder is a relic of the mining rush to the Michigan Copper Country
Copper Country
The Copper Country is an area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States, including all of Keweenaw County, Michigan and most of Houghton, Baraga and Ontonagon counties. The area is so named as copper mining was prevalent there from 1845 until the late 1960s, with one mine ...
, and was well known to Native Americans in its location on the west branch of the Ontonagon River
Ontonagon River
The Ontonagon River is a river flowing to Lake Superior on the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. The main stem of the river is 25 mi long and is formed by a confluence of several longer branches, portions of which have been collectively designated as a National Wild...
, in what is now Victoria Reservoir. According to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the boulder was used by tribe members to make offerings to its manitou
Manitou
Manitou is a general term for spirit beings among many Algonquian Native American groups.Manitou may also refer to:- Geography :* Manitou, Manitoba, Canada* Manitou, Kentucky, USA* Manitou, Oklahoma, USA- Other uses :...
(spirit) and to seek improvement in their health and well-being.
The boulder's history
In the early seventeenth century, Voyageurs traversing Lake SuperiorLake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
heard word of the massive solid copper boulder. In 1667, the redoubtable Jesuit missionary Claude Dablon
Claude Dablon
Claude Dablon was a Jesuit missionary, born in Dieppe, France.At the age of twenty-one he entered the Society of Jesus, and after his course of studies and teaching in France, arrived in Canada in 1655. He was at once dispatched with Father Chaumonot to begin a central mission among the Iroquois...
made his way up the Ontonagon and confirmed the existence of the fabled rock.
A century later, under the guidance of a party of Ojibwe, trader Alexander Henry laid eyes on the rock, and reported that he found it to be so pure and malleable that he was able to easily remove a large piece, and estimated the boulder's weight at ten tons. In 1819, during his geological survey of the area, Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
reported that he found the rock to be scarred by the chisels and axes of Native Americans, and estimated its copper content at one ton.
Rights to acquire and remove copper from the Ontonagon area were ceded to the United States in 1826 (Treaty of Fond du Lac
Treaty of Fond du Lac
The Treaty of Fond du Lac may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in Duluth, Minnesota between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples.-1826 Treaty of Fond du Lac:...
) and in 1842 (Treaty of La Pointe
Treaty of La Pointe
The Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples...
). Prior to extracting the boulder in 1843, Julius Eldred paid a sum to the head man of the Ontonagon for the privilege. The boulder was removed from the south fork of the Ontonagon River in 1843 by Mr. Eldred and transported to Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, where it was confiscated by the War Department. It was taken to Washington, D.C., and remained in the possession of the War Department until 1860, when it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
The boulder today
In 1991 an assessment was initiated after a request was received from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for the return of the Ontonagon boulder as a sacred object. A preliminary analysis indicated that the tribe presented insufficient evidence to establish that the boulder fits the definition of sacred object under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation ActNative American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act , Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048, is a United States federal law passed on 16 November 1990 requiring federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American "cultural items" to...
. Consultations were held with the tribe in 1998 and 1999, including a visit to the area in which the boulder was originally located. In 2000, it was recommended by the Repatriation Office that the Ontonagon boulder does not fit the definition of sacred object under the repatriation law, and the right of possession belongs with the Smithsonian Institution.
As of 2011, the Ontonagon boulder is located in the National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
, but it is currently behind the scenes. It was to be installed in the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals when they opened, but at the last minute, engineering concerns led to a veto. A new exhibition of the Boulder is being planned.
A replica of the Ontonagon boulder can be found at the Ontonagon Historical Museum. While various numbers are given for the boulder's weight, the most commonly accepted figure is 3,708 pounds.