Palisades State Park is located in eastern South Dakota and is
filled with Sioux quartzite formations estimated to be 1.2
billion years old throughout, including in Split Rock Creek
which flows through the park. The park is popular with rock
climbers who can climb the 50 feet or higher quartzite cliffs.
The picture shows King and Queen Rock which are popular with
rock climbers. Sioux quartzite comes from sandstone that was
fused into blocks of solid quartz and is pink in color. Plains
Indians used this quartzite for their ceremonial pipes. An
American Indian quarry outside of Pipestone, Minnesota was a
trading hub whose goods have been found as far as the western
side of the Rocky Mountains in archaeological digs. Many
buildings in eastern South Dakota and Minnesota were built out
of the rock including the Federal Building in Sioux Falls, South
Dakota in 1892. View Larger Map