For a decade, a large sandstone rock, measuring approximately five feet across and four feet tall with an irregular shape, resided in the front yard of Kathie Case and her husband Ron’s Eden Prairie home off Pioneer Trail.
Case, the president of the Eden Prairie Historical Society, said Ron, who has been the city’s mayor since 2019 and on the city council for many years, was told by a neighbor, Mike McGraw, that “he thinks” the lost Sacred Red Rock is behind his barn.
In the 1914 book “Old Rail Fence Corners: Frontier Tales Told by Minnesota Pioneers,” early Eden Prairie settlers recalled seeing a red sandstone boulder that the Native American people revered.
Originally along an Indian trail used by the Mdewakanton Sioux tribe of the Dakota Nation, this Sacred Red Rock in Eden Prairie represented a link to their ancestral traditions and served as a testament to their deep spiritual connection to the land. The trail played a vital role in connecting Shakopee and Minnetonka, as evidenced by its inclusion in the 1854 government survey of Eden Prairie Township.
But, the rock’s fate had been a mystery over the years.
When McGraw sold his property in 2012, he asked if he could temporarily place the rock on the side of Case’s driveway in the grass until they could ascertain its legitimacy. They agreed.
“I remember Ron discussing with (City Manager Rick Getschow) at the time, ‘What should we do? Should we move it?’ Everyone felt like just keep it where it is (at their house),” Case said. “We know it’s safe there. We’ll figure it out. At some point, something will happen, and it did.”
Indeed, fate intervened when Sheldon Peters Wolfchild, a documentarian who is part of the Lower Sioux Indian Community traditional group of elders, visited the Eden Prairie Historical Society Museum in July of 2022 in search of information on the rock. Elders are respected leaders related to sacred matters and particular sacred objects.
What followed was what those involved described as a remarkable journey of discovery, where the past intertwined with the present, and the “true essence of the rock’s sacredness” was unveiled.
To Wolfchild’s astonishment, the path to finding the rock unfolded with surprising ease, just a couple miles away from the museum.
“When I went to the historical society to conduct research, someone walked in and said, ‘The Eden Prairie Red Rock is at the house of the director of this program,'” recalled Wolfchild, a tribal member of the Mdewakanton Sioux nation. “I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I believed it, but it was so shocking, like ‘wow.'”
“It was very serendipitous,” reflected Thomas Achartz, the Eden Prairie Historical Society volunteer curator working at the museum that day.
Restoring the Red Rock to the Dakota people
Seated around a long table were several Eden Prairie Historical Society members, including Case, Achartz, Kelley Regan, and Paul Thorp, who also serves as the vice chair of the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission.
Also in attendance was Betty Curle Baxter, whose grandparents purchased the land in 1883 where the rock used to sit on the trail. Baxter’s stories about her father, George, born in 1886, and his childhood memories of glimpsing the Red Rock from their Eden Prairie window, served as the inspiration for Wolfchild’s journey to the museum last July.
“We have something to share with you,” Case said, passing over some papers. “This is a map that shows the rock’s previous locations. Additionally, we have stories about the rock taken from ‘Old Rail Fence Corners.'” These pioneer stories all originate from Eden Prairie and discuss the Red Rock that once existed along the trail. All of this information has contributed to our understanding.”
The five gathered to recount how the Sacred Red Rock was discovered and eventually given to the Lower Sioux traditional elders last year. Wolfchild said the elders have validated the Red Rock’s truth through ceremony.
When deciding the rock’s future, Case explained that the Historical Society Board’s advisory team followed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA). This federal law mandates the return of human remains and sacred objects to Indigenous communities.
“He (Sheldon Wolfchild) always spoke of traveling the good road. “And I think throughout this entire experience, we felt that we were traveling a good road and doing the right thing.”
Thomas Achartz
Case and the other members of the Historical Society emphasized that the decision to give the rock to the elders was made swiftly, yet with meticulous attention. She said the Historical Society conducted extensive research and possesses all the written documentation related to the rock.
“He (Wolfchild) always spoke of traveling the good road,” Achartz said. “And I think throughout this entire experience, we felt that we were traveling a good road and doing the right thing.”
According to the Historical Society’s documents, the Red Rock has existed in its natural state for over 10,000 years, predating the establishment of Eden Prairie in 1858. Made of rare sandstone, it holds sacred significance that traces back to the Woodland Indians, who revered its spiritual essence.
“After careful documentation, the advisory team of the EPHS is proud to have played a role in restoring the Red Rock to the Dakota people,” it stated. “Throughout the years, many residents of Eden Prairie have acted as caretakers of this sacred rock. By returning the rock to its rightful owners, we hope to foster a trusting and harmonious relationship between two cultures.”
Wolfchild emphasized the rock’s profound connection to the Dakota origin story.
“That’s the whole connection with our sacred red rocks,” he said. “It goes back to our origin story, and that is our traditional way in our belief system that we do not have to discuss with the public. That’s a private process that we’ve had, that tradition in our Sioux nation from the beginning. So it’s our belief system of our creation system that we believe in, that does not have to be explained to the general public, even though there’s a lot of research that our spiritual leaders have done over the years that has been written about it.”
‘The rock represents Mother Earth’
Wolfchild said he examined the documented research on the rock from the Historical Society, visited the Red Rock at the Case’s house, and conducted the appropriate ceremonies alongside the traditional elders.
“That’s how the process began,” said Wolfchild, who was interviewed separately. “As elders, we went through our traditional way of understanding an appropriate way to deal with our sacred objects. We set up a process for a ceremony and used our spiritual leader to make this happen.”
The rock in Ron and Kathie Case’s front yard was confirmed to be the sacred Red Rock that once rested along the Indian trail.
“That’s why we do ceremonies with it,” Wolfchild explained. “It’s about our ceremonial way that concludes all of the doubt in all of that. We know as Dakota people through ceremony that that rock is sacred.”
During the ceremony, Case recalled Wolfchild saying that he could feel the energy of thousands of voices within that spirit.
“He did a ceremony with us, inviting us to join him because that’s the way the truth comes out, through their ceremony,” Case said. “And we’ve learned a lot about these rocks; they were the rocks that were on the original trails of the earliest Native Americans here in our state.”
The Mdewakanton Sioux band are star people, she said. They would follow the trails, guided by the stars, and the rocks they encountered along the way became an essential part of their ceremonies as an expression of gratitude.
“They don’t look at the rock as if it is God or something to worship, but more that it’s to be grateful to Mother Earth,” she said. “The rock really represents Mother Earth. Like I said, they’re star people, so they believe in everything that you see is a part of their life, a part of their faith.”
Case said it was enlightening to discover that previous beliefs associating the rock with an altar or religious connotations were inaccurate.
“It’s a completely different experience when you engage in conversation with a true elder who possesses a deep understanding of ceremony,” she explained.
Protecting the sacred sites and objects
Wolfchild emphasizes the collaborative research undertaken by the elders on sacred sites and objects.
“When it comes to our traditional sacred sites and objects, it is a crucial responsibility for the elders,” he explained. “In our belief system, politics cannot be involved. The elders are solely responsible for nonpolitical matters, such as sacred objects and sites. Governance is not a part of it on the political side. That has always been our purpose and tradition as connected with our Mdewakanton people throughout the years.”
Wolfchild explained that within Minnesota existed several red rocks that carry deep sacred meaning for the Dakota people, particularly the Mdewakanton community.
“There has always been an interest in listening to and preserving our oral stories, starting from my grandparents and continuing down the line,” he said. “It is our responsibility to protect them, to preserve them to the best of our abilities. This has been our purpose, both for me personally and for our elders throughout the years. It is a way of passing down our traditions and protecting our belief system through the preservation of our sacred objects. That has been my purpose.”
“In our belief system, politics cannot be involved. The elders are solely responsible for nonpolitical matters, such as sacred objects and sites.”
Sheldon Peters Wolfchild
He explained that the research process led to the discovery of the Eden Prairie Red Rock, and the remaining information was unearthed through a collaborative effort involving the Eden Prairie Historical Society.
“This story is not about me and my research; it focuses on our traditional elders, with whom I work as an elder myself,” he said. “It is our collective responsibility and an integral part of our work.”
Seeing their perspective
According to Wolfchild, dealing with the Historical Society regarding the rock went smoothly.
“Yes, once they understood our perspective,” Wolfchild said.
He mentioned that a red rock at the Newport United Methodist Church southeast of St. Paul had undergone historical research.
“Several years ago, as elders, we conducted research on that red rock, initiated a study, and engaged in discussions with the Methodist church and their historical society,” Wolfchild said. “We collaborated with the head of their historical society to gather and document the research on that particular red rock. The historical documentation traces its initial discovery along the banks of the Mississippi River.”
That rock remains at the church.
“When the political element arose concerning that specific rock, the elders collaborated with the spiritual leaders and made the decision not to engage in a political process regarding our sacred objects,” he said. “Instead, we chose to step back and refrain from involvement, focusing solely on continuing our ceremonies and rituals associated with the rock. We will follow this approach until the situation settles down, allowing us to deal with it later.”
Wolfside said the approach to dealing with the Eden Prairie Red Rock differed from the Newport Red Rock. To steer clear of politics, Lower Sioux elders worked together with members of the Eden Prairie Historical Society through ceremonial discussions and meetings, handling the situation with what he described as respect.
“That is the way to do the process with our sacred objects,” he said. “They totally understood that and they respected that, and left the political element out of this.”
Unraveling the mysteries
The Historical Society embarked on a detective-like journey to trace the rock’s movements through the years.
Based on their research, the rock was initially positioned along the Indian trail southwest of Red Rock Lake until the late 1950s. It was later moved near what today is the corner of Mitchell Road and Pioneer Trail, remaining there until 1994. From 1994 to 2012, the rock was behind McGraw’s barn near Harrow Way before finally finding its location in the Case’s front yard.
Thorp, an experienced surveyor, said his main task was mapping the possible locations.
“We had the recollections from the book (‘Old Rail Fence Corners’), and it was my job to put the names with the places,” he said. “I used old maps, new maps, aerial photos, that kind of thing. The original 1854 survey helped me determine the whereabouts of the Indian trail they described.”
Thorp said they had a rough idea of the trail’s location as it was described as in the woods. By studying the earliest recorded aerial photos from 1940, he identified the outline of the woods.
“So, I pretty much pinned it down to right there,” he said, pointing to a large map of Eden Prairie. “Then we moved the other pieces to this location (Mitchell Road and Pioneer Trail). We don’t know exactly where it was on the road, but based on needing to move it when this got developed first, I assumed it was either right there or maybe right there. So then that’s when McGraw moved it back behind his barn, and it sat there for many years. Betty is the one who really put it all together when she said her dad lived here, and he could see it from their house.”
Case shared that there was supposedly a Chief Red Rock buried on the original site of the rock. “However, he was excavated and taken to Minnetonka, and the mystery surrounding his whereabouts remains unsolved,” she said.
Was the lake named after the rock?
“I believe it was actually named after the chief; however, some people speculate that it was named after the rock since the rock itself was named after the chief,” Case replied.
Tracing the rock’s movement
According to the Historical Society research, William Collins obtained the land claim for the property where the rock was situated in 1853 from a man known as Mr. Gorman. The purchase was made using $100 worth of gold.
Baxter’s grandparents, John and Pauline, bought 80 acres of the Collins property in 1883.
In the spring of either 1969 or 1970, George, their son, took a bus tour of historical points of interest in the city with his daughter Baxter. George, a charter member of the Historical Society, was asked to share his memories of the places and events.
Years later, Baxter discovered her father’s penciled notes from the bus ride, which she included in her 41-page book on the Curle family history.
“At certain times of the year, as the Sioux would travel from Shakopee to Minnetonka and back, they would stop at the rock which was sacred to them and engage in a ceremony of a religious nature,” Baxter wrote of what her father remembered. “They would sit in silence around the rock and smoke pipestone pipes.”
The property changed hands over the years, with James Stewart acquiring it in 1929. He reported the rock missing in the Hennepin County Review newspaper. It was believed that some farmers concealed rocks to prevent Native Americans from entering their land. There is speculation that the rock might have been covered or relocated. James also mentioned that Chief Red Rock’s grave was on his property. The Historical Society believes that the rock was never stolen.
In the 1960s, the property became part of Red Rock Ranch, which provided Western horse-riding lessons. The rock was moved to the corner of Mitchell (then a dirt road leading to the ranch) and Pioneer Trail. It was painted with “RED ROCK RANCH.” Later, teenagers added graffiti.
“I think a lot of people will be very interested in learning that the rock that was the mascot for the ranch was the real Red Rock,” she said. “Maybe some people even already thought that.”
The reason why the rock eventually ended up in Case’s backyard can be traced back to what longtime resident Don Libby told McGraw.
Libby lived in a small home at Spring Road and Pioneer Trail, directly across from McGraw. Having resided there since the 1940s, Libby saw the Dakota people traveling from the Minnesota River bottoms to the pasture for ceremonial purposes.
Case said Libby approached McGraw and urged him to “move that rock. You hide it somewhere on your property, protect it. It’s the Sacred Red Indian Rock.”
Navigating legalities and cultural significance
Before giving the rock to the Mdewakanton Lower Sioux traditional elders, Case consulted with David Mather, the national register archaeologist at the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).
“I wanted to know if SHPO had any authority over decisions regarding its placement,” she explained. “As it turns out, they do not have any control over such matters. However, he felt that I was engaging with the right individual in (Wolfchild). He was familiar with him and agreed with my intention to ensure that the recipient had appropriate credentials if we chose to transfer the rock.”
Mather also told Case that, according to state statute, if anyone legally owned the rock at that point, it would be her since it was on her property. However, Case did not personally view it that way, although she found the legal clarification helpful.
Case requested that Wolfchild consult his spiritual elders to determine the most appropriate action. While waiting, Case said the Historical Society Board and Baxter concluded: “If they asked for the rock, we would let them have it.”
Before doing so, they weighed their options for retaining or relinquishing the Red Rock.
“If we chose to keep it in Eden Prairie, should we display it at Red Rock Park with an informational kiosk to tell its story?” she said. “How could we ensure its safety? How do we prevent people from damaging or attempting to steal it using a forklift? These were genuine concerns.”
Case revealed that Wolfchild shared the unfortunate fate of many sacred red rocks in his search, as they were often dynamited or crushed due to prejudice. There had reportedly been 12 in the Twin Cities.
”People didn’t like (Native Americans) coming onto their land, traipsing through having ceremony,” she said. “People didn’t care for that. So they got rid of the rocks. And this is maybe what happened to this rock. It might have gotten buried for a while because there’s a time (James Stewart) is saying it’s gone.”
Case reached out to Bill Satterness, a resident living on Red Rock Lake who researched the rock extensively in 2020.
“I believed he deserved to know,” Case shared. “I was concerned about his reaction, worried that he might say, ‘You knew it was the rock, and you gave it away?'”
According to Case, Satterness drew from his childhood experience at Plymouth Rock, where a protective cage deterred tourists from chipping away at it. He expressed concern about the Red Rock facing a similar fate.
“But most importantly, to the Historical Society, it’s about ceremony,” Case emphasized. “The rock’s origin dates back thousands of years to the glacier period when it was pushed here. It’s unusual to have sandstone in this area; granite is more common. We had considered these factors when making our decision.”
When Wolfchild returned, he told the Historical Society that the spiritual elders wanted the Red Rock for ceremony again.
Betty Curle Baxter’s family connection unveils ties to the Sacred Red Rock
Sheldon Wolfchild credits Betty Curle Baxter for leading him to Eden Prairie and discovering the Sacred Red Rock last summer.
Learn about Baxter’s family history, her father’s memories of Native American children at Gould School, and her chance encounter in 1935 with Minnie Otherday, who gifted Baxter a handmade American Indian doll (pictured) by clicking here.
“I got the feeling he was just terrified to even say it,” Case recalled. “He was just not sure what we were going to say back? And we all looked at him and said, ‘OK, when do you want to come and get it?’ And he was stunned, absolutely stunned. They’re not used to being given things like that. It was actually kind of an emotional, teary moment.”
“It’s nature. And certainly, we were not Eden Prairie until 1858. So it was on a trail that all of them followed, all the Sioux Dakota people, not just Shakopee.
Kathie Case
In August 2022, it was initially planned for Wolfchild to retrieve the rock in the spring of 2023. However, due to concerns about its safety at the end of Case’s driveway, Wolfchild did so in September 2022.
Baxter and the members of the Historical Society were present to witness the movement of the extremely heavy rock from Case’s yard.
“They took a Bobcat, and a flatbed truck and a lot of luck to get it loaded with nobody getting hurt,” Baxter said.
The Historical Society has an answer if people ask, “Why would you let it leave Eden Prairie if you’ve been in Eden Prairie for 10,000 years?”
“It’s nature,” Case explained. “And certainly, we were not Eden Prairie until 1858. So it was on a trail that all of them followed, all the Sioux Dakota people, not just Shakopee. All of them traveled these trails and stopped to have ceremonies for thousands of years. So its history predates Eden Prairie. This entire area was Native American land, even though they sadly didn’t own it, it belonged to them.”
Learning from experience
After its trip west to the Lower Sioux Indian Community from Eden Prairie, Wolfchild placed the rock in his yard. Additional research on the rock was planned.
In May, Wolfchild invited Baxter and Historical Society members to witness the placement of the rock and meet the elders during a ceremony.
“As for our plans (for the rock), we are still in discussions. However, what matters most is that the rock is currently secure at a Lower Sioux location, being cared for by the traditional elders.”
Sheldon Peters Wolfchild
“On that special day, we gathered with our spiritual leader, other spiritual individuals, and the Lower Sioux elders,” Wolfchild said. “We engaged in discussions, conducted a meaningful ceremony around Red Rock, and concluded with a meal lovingly prepared by our women elders. It was a truly beautiful and memorable day of culmination.”
“It was a beautiful, beautiful experience,” Case said.
Is the rock still at Wolfchild’s house?
“It’s still in the area, yes,” he replied.
“As for our plans (for the rock), we are still in discussions. However, what matters most is that the rock is currently secure at a Lower Sioux location, being cared for by the traditional elders.”
A profound connection
Case shared a story she admitted might sound “really hokey,” but she insisted it was a genuine experience.
When the rock was in her yard, Case would often gaze at it, hoping to find something meaningful.
Over the years, the rock accumulated paint chips. However, something remarkable happened during the ceremony last year in her yard to determine the rock’s sacredness, conducted by Wolfchild.
Case went outside that night and said she saw previously unseen carvings: a buffalo head, a dog, arrows, and even a Native American profile with feathers.
“If it was there before, I didn’t see it,” she said.
She has kept the spot in her yard where the rock had been unchanged since it was moved. “I haven’t planted anything,” she said. “It’s just that’s where it was. That spot is special.”
The rock is looking much different these days.
Wolfchild said the rock endured various forms of abuse and was used as an advertisement in front of the ranch. But, once returned to Lower Sioux, the rock’s dark grey pallor was power washed away, revealing its original red color.
“That’s why it was called Red Rock,” he said. “It’s clean, pure and red.”
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