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They seem oblivious to the jade-green waves that wash their
sneakered feet, the golden dunes towering over their heads. But
every so often, one of them will dart forward with a cry of glee to
scoop a glistening gray stone out of the water. Truth to tell, these
bits of sand-buffed limestone don't look like much -- and they're
even less impressive when they're dry. But when properly cut and
polished, they take on an entirely different character. They're
Petoskey stones: ubiquitous, unusual and instantly recognizable from
their trademark pattern of sunburst hexagons as the official state
stone of Michigan. Whether gray, brown or honey-colored, they can be
found in gift stores and jewelry shops throughout the state, cut and
shaped into earrings, pendants, paperweights and other items.
But most people prefer to find their own Petoskey stones. For
more than a century, hunting for these odd-looking fossils has been
a favorite summer pastime in this land of freshwater beaches and
bays. Although named after the city of Petoskey, about 70 miles
north of Traverse City, they can be found on most beaches in the
region.
Instantly recognizable by their trademark honeycomb pattern of
sunbursts and rays, Petoskey stones are found on the shore along
much of Michigan's northwestern coast. Beachcombing for the
distinctive fossils has been a favorite activity of tourists to the
Traverse City area for more than a century. [Photo provided by
Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau.]
"Actually, spring is really the best time to find them," says
Donna Mikowski of Davidson's Rock Shop in Traverse City. "That's
because the winter storms and the ice roll new ones up onto the
beach from deeper water. We have one family from Texas that comes up
to the same beach by Old Mission, and they tell us they find new
ones every year."
For almost 44 years, Mikowski's family has been cutting,
polishing and setting Petoskey stones for vacationing rockhounds who
want their new treasures to shine with the proper glow. The family's
little shop on Randolph Street hasn't changed perceptibly over the
decades, which may be why it remains so popular. Like the stones
themselves, they are what they are.
But what is a Petoskey stone, anyway? And why are these
oddly compelling rocks found nowhere else on earth? To answer those
questions, one must imagine a very different Michigan from the
pine-scented hills and cool lakes of today -- a Michigan that,
according to scientists, existed 350 million years ago, in the
Devonian Period, when much of what is now North America was
submerged beneath the warm waters of a shallow tropical sea.
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 One of the most successful components of this rich,
soupy environment were corals -- vast reefs of them, stretching for hundreds of
miles. Petoskey stones are the fossilized remains of one particular
species of prehistoric coral, Hexagonia percarinata. Devonian rocks
are exposed in only a few places on the continent, and northern
Michigan happens to be one of them. And thanks to the hardworking
glaciers that passed by in the relatively recent Pleistocene Period,
a mere 2 million years ago as scientists date it, there are plenty
of Petoskey stones scattered around on Traverse City area beaches.
One isolated beach, the stone-cobbled shore at Peterson Park near
the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, feels like the end of the world
-- or perhaps its earliest beginnings. Here beneath towering cliffs,
the Lake Michigan waves crash over piles of fist-sized rocks,
including strange, fossil-bearing stones that bear the imprints of
ancient shells, corals and primitive animals. The northern edges of
the Old Mission Peninsula also are a fertile hunting-ground for
Petoskey stones, as is the Grand Traverse Bay shore of Antrim County
between Elk Rapids and Eastport.
This year, in fact, little Eastport has decided to host
Michigan's first Petoskey Stone Festival on May 27. A modest hamlet
wedged between East Grand Traverse Bay and Torch Lake, Eastport is
home to Barnes Park, a large county-run facility whose beaches
attract Petoskey stone hunters each season.
"Antrim County is located in the heart of the finest Petoskey
stone country, so it seemed only fitting that we celebrate this very
unique and beautiful stone we are so blessed to have," says veteran
Petoskey stone collector Linda Gallagher, who heads the festival
committee.
Admission to the festival is free, said Gallagher. Events will
include an official Petoskey stone hunt, with prizes awarded for
both children and adults; the crowning of the state's first Petoskey
Stone Festival queen; seminars on the history, culture and geology
of the stones; hunting tips; and demonstrations of Petoskey stone
cutting, polishing and jewelry-making; as well as suggestions for
turning them into "sculptures, household ornaments and other works
of art."
For information about Petoskey stones and the Eastport Petoskey
Stone Festival, visit
www.petoskeystonefestival.com.
To learn about other outdoor adventures, culinary treats and
attractions in the Traverse City area this year, contact the
Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1 (800) TRAVERSE [1
(800) 872-8377] or visit online at
www.mytraversecity.com.
[Mike Norton, Traverse
City Convention & Visitors Bureau] |
