Hegman Lake Pictographs – rural Ely, MN
N 48° 03.189 W 091° 54.244
15U E 581667 N 5322788
Perhaps the clearest display of Indian pictographs in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, these images are one of the two groupings that can be accessed by canoe on a day trip.
Waymark Code: WMC8G1
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 08/08/2011
Views: 8
Perhaps the clearest display of Indian pictographs in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, these images are one of the two groupings that can be accessed by canoe on a day trip. They are among more than 30 pictograph sites in the Superior-Quetico area, estimated to have been painted between 500-1,000 years ago. The paint was made from red ochre, iron mixed with sturgeon oil or bear greese. The images at the Hegman Lake site include a moose, a wolf, a mythical man (maymayguayshi), a cross, tally marks, and several canoes. They predate the Ojibway people of today who have no clear interpretations into the meanings of the rock art. It has been suggested that this particular site may have been painted in the winter when the constellations line up with the images on the rock.
The pictographs can be found on the rock wall on the west side of the narrows between North Hegman and Trease Lakes. This is a canoe-in only waymark. No motors are allowed on this lake, and a daily permit may be filled out at the box at the trailhead. Parking is at N 48 01.982; W 091 55.505. The pictographs were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 under the number 77001659.
Street address:
Hegman Lake
Ely, MN USA
55731
County / Borough / Parish: St. Louis
Year listed: 1977
Historic (Areas of) Significance: none listed
Periods of significance: none listed
Historic function: none listed
Current function: none listed
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.