Salt Rock Petroglyphs
Editor Sibray at Salt Rock Petroglyphs
The Salt Rock Petroglyphs are carved on two large boulders about 100 yards from the northeast bank of the Guyandotte River at Salt Rock, West Virginia, in Cabell County. The rocks include many carvings, including a figure wearing a “weeping eye” mask. Some sources suggest 50-1650 A.D. as the approximate period the rock art was created
European settlers near Salt Rock reported finding evidence of native village sites nearby mounds. The earliest record of the site is from Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, published by the Smithsonian Institute in 1848.
Though renowned, the petroglyphs are located on private property, and public access is prohibited.
NOTE: If you choose to visit this or any other petroglyph, officials at the W.Va. Division of Culture & History request that you please refrain from touching the rock. Oils in human skin can cause the rock to more quickly erode.
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