Modern hand petroglyphs at the Cloquet public library

Modern turtle petroglyph at the Cloquet public library showing hole

Modern turtle petroglyph at the Cloquet Public Library

Visitors to the Cloquet public library may have noticed two new rocks near the main door. Runoff from the roof was eroding holes in the ground on either side of the door so I offered to put some art on rocks that could be used to slow the water down as it came off the roof.

The rock on the south side of the door has three hand petroglyphs. During the process of moving the rock and adding the hands, great care was taken to preserve the moss that had been growing on the rock when it was located in Pine Valley park. The greywacke has a number of natural cavities that the runoff hits when the rainfall intensity is just right.

The rock on the north side of the door has a turtle petroglyph. The turtle design was inspired by Hawaiian turtle petroglyphs and modified to fit the rock. The rock had a 3-inch diameter hole drilled through it sometime before it was placed along a trail near the St. Louis River. The turtle was roughly centered around the hole on what would have been the bottom of the rock when it was drilled. The runoff hits the hole when the runoff intensity is just right.

On November 1, 2011, the library held an artist’s reception for the rock art and some other art that had recently been created for the library.