Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site is located at County Road 2 in Comfrey, Minnesota and is approximately three hours drive from Minneapolis. It is open between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day from 10am to 5pm Thursday to Saturday and 12 noon to 5pm on Sundays with parking available free of charge. Between September and May educational tours can be made by reservation only for groups of 10 or more people and the site is also open for special events.
The Native American petroglyphs are pecked in to rock of the Red Rock Ridge, which is a 23 mile Sioux quartzite outcrop extending from Watonwan County to Brown County. The exposed surface is approximately 150 feet by 650 feet and is surrounded by virgin prairie.
The Minnesota Historical Society purchased the site from W.R. Jeffers Jnr. in 1966 and four years later it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
There are over 2,000 images embedded in the rock created by using a hammer stone of Sioux quartzite or a rock harder of equal hardness such as a chert cobble. The petroglyphs illustrate various types of wildlife such as bison, salamanders, turtles, elk as well as human stick figures, and various weapons like atlatls, spear points, arrowheads, and lances. It is believed that the oldest carvings date back 7000, to 9,000 years ago, while the most recent are only 150 to 250 years old.
Touring the site can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours and staff on site will help visitors to explore the carvings and provide detailed explanations. Every day at 3pm a guide will manipulate special tools to give the illusion of late day light angles and provide background about the significance of the petroglyphs. There is also a Visitor Center featuring a theater with media presentation and hands-on exhibits.
During the summer special nature programs are run at 2pm each day and are mainly designed for the children but the whole family can get involved too with role playing exercises, games or tours. Special interactive stations, such as the `Packing a Travois' activity and `Hunting a Bison' are popular with children and help to teach them about life on the prairie. The `Adventures in Nature' activity is something for everyone aged 10 and above, and looks at past cultures and how archaeologists learn more about them through artifacts.
There are a couple of easy trails to walk along at this 160 acre historic site with the shorter of the two just three quarters of a mile and leading direct to the petroglyphs, while the longer one is just over a mile with views of the prairie flowers and plants. Visitors can purchase gifts and souvenirs at the shop in the Visitor Center with items of clothing, books, jewelry and items for children on sale here. The site also has restrooms, water fountains, cold drinks and a sheltered picnic area for guests to sit and enjoy a packed lunch.
