These stones are like unknown sentinels that sit at the edge of the river—a remnant of this region’s industrial past. The site is sunken and hidden from almost every human visual line of sight. It is only when you directly encounter a stone, a corner, or a small indication of the depth of this space, that the enigma can be viewed. Yet even then, few answers are provided. 

Intuition and a little bit of research reveals that this was part of a much larger site—one of the massive grain elevators that sat along the Mississippi River, until in the early 20^th century a storm destroyed nearly everything standing. These pillars made from river stone and concrete are all that remains.

Someday in the not-too-distant future, the accumulations of tree fall, seasonal vegetation, river flooding, and undergrowth, will bury these stones. And to imagine, if in some distant future these stones are uncovered, they might be examined and sorted and seen as the archaeological remains of 20^th century industrial river life.