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| The Roche-A-Cri petroglyphs and pictographs, as well as some vandalism... |
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| Roche-A-Cri rock art map |
The short trail – just a few feet from the parking lot – shows both rock carvings, known as petroglyphs, and rock paintings, called pictographs, etched and brushed onto the base of the Roche-A-Cri rock formation.
To reach the trailhead, from Adams-Friendship take Wis. Hwy. 13 north. Turn left/west at the park entrance. Follow the park road to the south side of the Roche-A-Cri formation, where there is a lot. Head north across the road from the lot to the rock art.
Symbolic meaning
The Oneota people, ancestors of the modern day Ho-Chunk, created the rock art. The petroglyphs are at least 1100 years old while the pictographs are about 400-500 years old.
Those ancient artists used a sharp tool, probably a stone knife, to carve the petroglyphs. A bold red or orange paint was applied with either a reed or an animal-hair brush to create the pictographs.
Archeologists and historians can only speculate about the symbols’ meaning.
For example, the most prominent symbol – a crescent – could show the lunar cycle or a solar eclipse. On the other hand, it might simply represent canoes, which historical evidence shows were sometimes stored on nearby Carter Creek.
The birds might be the mythical thunderbird, which later was important in the legends of Wisconsin’s historical Ojibwe, Menomonee and Winnebago Indians. Then again, they may simply represent the hawks, eagles and turkey vultures that circle Roche-A-Cri.
The most common of the petroglyphs are three lines that look like a fork. They resemble bird tracks but if turned upside down look like a stick figure man.
Disappearing art
Unfortunately, settlers and soldiers vandalized some of the petroglyphs during the mid 1800s. Among the culprits was Company D of the Wisconsin 1st Cavalry Sharpshooters in 1861. In addition, round indentations suggest they also used the rock face for marksmanship trials.
Weathering likely will erase the petroglyphs from the soft sandstone within a half-century. A railing aims to protect the rock art, which can be damaged by a mere touch. Please stay behind the railing to preserve this cultural artifact for as long as possible.
If looking to get in a walk, a couple of trails head out from the rock art. The Acorn Trail heads north around Roche-A-Cri with connectors to the campground and to the stairway leading to the rock formation’s top. Alternately, the Acorn Trail can be taken south from the parking lot to Carter Creek, where it links to the Spring Peeper Trail, which goes to the park office.
Tip: A great time to view the rock art is in autumn when the fallen leaves provides a less obscured view of the petroglyphs.
