06/21/2026
Before I begin posting stories from Montana, I wanted to share this unique place in Eastern Oregon which I visited with a good friend and my daughter last year. It was a very special experience.
This is a stone circle made by Native Americans but likely not a 'medicine wheel', which many people associate with Great Plains Native Americans. There is also a second circle nearby in deteriorated condition.
This is the only known stone ring in Oregon. Archeologists have not determined what exactly the purpose of these stone circles are but they are relatively modern, probably 300 years old or less. They are a relatively new discovery so there has been some research done here but not much.
The Stinkingwater Mountains are known to be a source of roots which were a reliable spring food source and this was likely to have been a seasonal gathering place. From this location you can see nearby Tukwahone/Castle Rock, which is traditionally a sacred place for the Paiute Tribe. In my mind's eye, I like to imagine gatherings in both places having large fires which are visible from ridge to ridge, with people celebrating the season of plentifulness after a harsh winter. A good friend of mine who is Paiute told me that the stone circles were used in some way for horse racing and betting or scorekeeping.
I hope this location receives some kind of protection, as there were numerous artifacts as well as structures such as stacked stone walls and rock blinds. There were also many more modern artifacts, such as piles of solder dot cans, crimp seam cans, and very old oil cans. I did a lot of research to find this location and have been very careful not to post anything that would identify it - I hope that it stays intact.
There is so much more that I could say about this special place, perhaps in another post sometime.
