At one time these stepping stones were the only way to cross the river.
The Stepping Stones is now a city park, BUT the stones need restored again!
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At one time these stepping stones were the only way to cross the river. The Stepping Stones is now a city park, BUT the stones need restored again! |
What stories the stones could tell, if only they could talk. Our questions could be answered. Who put them there and when? Who through the years have helped restore them? And how many people have walked across them through the years.Since they can not tell us these things, we rely on stories passed down through the years. One story tells that a Pat O'brien put the stones in to make a short cut to town and the local tavern. An article in the newspaper recalls an Indian skipping across the stones when he was a lad in the mid 1800's.
We may never know the answers but are glad people continue to take an interest today. Like in 1991, when they were once again restored. The kids that went across for the first time shouted with joy at the new experience. We hope this continues through the years.
We heard different stories through the years as to how the stones got there. Somes of the stories I heard were from people who came around at different times while we were working on this project.In 1974, while working on installing the steps from the bank of the river down to the stones, Frances Vogel came by. He asked if I heard how the stones got there. I said, "No". He proceded to tell me that a Pat O'Brien put the stones in to make a stort cut to town. Another person, Frederick Ulrich stopped by to see if he could find any old sassafras trees. While reminiscing, he told me that when his parents farmed Old Mission Farm, he brought a team of horses every couple years to put the stones back in place. The high water and icy flow would take some of them down stream.
Some people said the Indians put the stones in. There was a church, school and two dormatories on the west side of the river for the Indian children. The indian hunting grounds were north of Stepping Stones, what is now Stepping Stones park. Elliot Street that goes to the river was named after one of the Missionaries.
In 1991, a group of us restored the stones again. It was around this time that I went to the courthouse to check the records. Pat O'Brien did purchase two tracks of land across the river on the east side. One was purchased in 1875 and the other in 1877. After hearing about this, Nancy Honesberger gave me a newspaper clipping from the Daily Chief, dated May 17, 1916. The article was called "Wyandot Indian". It was written by an Indian called, Red-top-with freckled face, born in the old Indian tavern on Wyandot Avenue, March 25, 1866. Quoting from the article, "We now find ourselves at the "Stepping Stones", oh to be free, light-hearted boy once again! Where we blithely trip from stone to stone, unless perchance we made a false step and slip into the water which by the way, is of small consequence."
These are the stories that have been told to us. The question still remains, did Pat O'Brien put the stones in? Or did he restore them like we did. Did the Indians put them in to get to the church and school? We are now back to the beginning; "if only the stones could talk, what stories they could tell us".
New painting by Hal Sherman
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