Prayer Rock (draft version)

In late 1924, Richard Pettigrew began searching for a sacred boulder to add to his museum. He had heard about a large rock with symbols on it called Medicine Rock, located near Gettysburg, South Dakota. Pettigrew wanted to acquire a similar rock with symbols on it to preserve and display in Sioux Falls. He sent a request to E.S. Peterson of Mobridge and J.W. Parmely of Ipswich to begin looking for a suitable piece. Eventually, this three-ton example was found on a ranch near Evarts, South Dakota. The ranch belonged to J.J. Bentz, but was being rented by Ed Klein. Mr. Pettigrew purchased the boulder from Bentz and hired Klein to remove and transport it to the railroad station at Mobridge, where it would be shipped to Sioux Falls. Ed Klein put together a team of six men to move the rock into town, a 17-mile trip. Eventually, it took six men, two wagons, and eight horses to pull the boulder free. Pettigrew placed the boulder outside his home and museum in 1925, and it has been on exhibit ever since.