feature image: Roche-A-Cri State Park Petroglyphs, Crescents, turkey tracks, and bird shapes can all be seen here.
By Emma Hitzman, Museum Curator, Cedarburg Art Museum
Before Wisconsin became a state in 1848, it was not known by that name. It is the ancestral homeland of many Indigenous nations, from the Early Woodland period peoples to the present-day Oneida and Ho-Chunk tribes. Due to the violent effects of colonization—through genocide, forced assimilation, and the loss of cultural practices—much of the artwork and traditions of these peoples have been lost to history. However, there are still places where remnants of their artistic heritage remain, preserved against the passage of time.
Two such sites are open to the public as state parks, offering a rare glimpse into the region’s Indigenous past. While many more exist across the state, they are often difficult to access due to private ownership or the delicate nature of the sites.
One of these sites is Roche-a-Cri State Park, home to a collection of pictographs and petroglyphs—painted and carved images on rock faces that date back to the mid-late Woodland period. These ancient markings, which likely date to around 800-1100 BCE, have survived despite centuries of weathering and vandalism, with some defacing marks even dating back to the Civil War era. Yet, despite this damage, the original glyphs remain remarkably visible and continue to reveal profound insights into the past.
Among the carvings, visitors can spot images like three-pronged turkey tracks, large crescent shapes, and bird-like depictions. These symbols, etched into the stone with deliberate precision, reflect a deep cultural and spiritual significance. The crescents, for example, are carved in layers, one above the other, with some interpretations suggesting they might represent canoes, the moon, or other lost meanings. The bird depictions are simple and effective, with triangular or x-shaped bodies and bent wings. The turkey tracks in clusters of horizontal rows facing both up and down. The process of carving these intricate designs into the hard rock face speaks to the dedication and reverence the artists had for their work—a commitment to preserving and sharing their stories with future generations.
The pictographs reveal an entirely different story. Once the red ochre markings are separated from layers of historical graffiti, a striking narrative comes into focus. At the center is a traditional thunderbird figure, with a lightning bolt arcing toward a horned being—believed to symbolize a dream or vision of a man transforming into athunderbird as he takes flight. To witness such a vision is considered a profound blessing.
Thunderbirds appear in nearly every Indigenous mythology across North America, likely inspired by the intense thunderstorms that frequently sweep through the Midwest and Great Plains where they have nearly identical depictions of the thunderbird mythos. They are typically seen as benevolent, rain-bringing spirits of the spring. While eagles are most often associated with Thunderbird imagery, the three-toed tracks of turkeys are also woven into the tradition.
Although it is universal to share stories via drawings such as these, there is nothing ordinary about these subtle and beautiful red marks on this towering rock face. The survival of these beautiful drawings and carvings stand as a testament to the enduring legacy of indigenous art and culture in Wisconsin long before it became a state.
Schrab, G., & Boszhardt, R. F. (2016). Hidden Thunder: Rock Art of the Upper Midwest. Wisconsin Historical Society
Radin, Paul, The Winnebago Tribe: 37th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1923).
Anthropomorphic images in rock art paintings and rock carvings. Chapter 18. (2020). https://doi.org/10.2307//j.ctv1228gc6.