a old post but wondered if anymore info?
2014

Is this real? For not ever being found before it looks in very good condition?

It looks legit. I wish they would also have an image of a map and arrow. :-/

Hex

There must of been a follow up investigation on it?

I’ve seen many pictographs, this one is unique. I would suggest that if someone was faking a pictograph they would conform to a more conventional style. Perhaps this is the work of a Native American Picasso?

It means, ‘you are here ‘.

I think it's fake.
It's more orange than any I've seen.
Basswood had 13 lodges on it, was commercially fished, was logged, and had hundreds of thousand fishermen, canoeists, hunters, trappers, snowmobiles etc......
Yet everyone missed this ?..... I don't buy it.

I also think it is fake. Too bright to be missed.

I guess I'm interested in what "real" or "fake" even means. If somebody in Pre-contact times painted something then obviously it's "real", but what are the criteria for "real" post contact (which happened quite early up there, probably mid-17th century)? If a white fisherman painted the pictograph in 2010 then we'd all call it "fake", but what if a native American fisherman painted it in 1950? Real or fake? Is it age that makes it "real"? Is it culture of origin that makes it "real"?

Sorry, I have relevant education and have to ask the questions.

Well then. Are there any Chosa’s still living in the area? They used to own property on Basswood. And didn’t they run the operations at Prairie portage?

Stumpy: "I think it's fake.
It's more orange than any I've seen.
Basswood had 13 lodges on it, was commercially fished, was logged, and had hundreds of thousand fishermen, canoeists, hunters, trappers, snowmobiles etc......
Yet everyone missed this ?..... I don't buy it. "

It looks so new from the picture?

I would think if it was real the forest department would have had a press release and we would have found it in the news

then again there is the island river pictos.. they look nothing like the others. And there is another one some where on the lake that we never could find.

Canoearoo: "then again there is the island river pictos.. they look nothing like the others. And there is another one some where on the lake that we never could find."

The island river one is one of the clearest ones I have seen I could even see it plainly. I think that one is worth a day paddle to see,

inspector13: "
Well then. Are there any Chosa’s still living in the area? They used to own property on Basswood. And didn’t they run the operations at Prairie portage?

"

Judy "Heartwarrior" Chosa is still alive. Her brother Tommy Jr. died a few years ago. Their cabins on Basswood got destroyed in the wind storm, but are still there. Not sure if they "own" the property in the eye's of the government.

Canoearoo: "then again there is the island river pictos.. they look nothing like the others. And there is another one some where on the lake that we never could find."

The last time I was at the Island River pictos someone had scrapped their initials in the lichen "jwd?".

My guess is the origin is 2014, perhaps as early as 2013.
In my many years of canoeing I have never, ever, seen a picto remotely close to this clear. The reality is they have faded in my 50 years of seeing them.
I agree it would have been seen hundreds of times on a lake like Basswood.
Face it. Someone is having a good chuckle, again, over our posting about it again.

I vote fake, done in the last 10 years or so--most likely 2013 or 2014 though. As others...especially Stumpy pointed out it is just so unlikely it would have been missed especially how defined it is. Also some of it is placed on the rock sloping upward--the pictographs I have seen have been on bigger rock faces on the flat surface area---never seen one on the upward slope. The color looks wrong as well. It would be easier to tell if you had a pic of the entire rock face where the picto was and not just the close up.

When I look at the pic it just doesn't look right---looks off to me.

T

Due to the nature of digital photography; you can't judge a pictograph by its color. If the camera is improperly white balanced (or choses an inaccurate white balance in an automatic camera) the color will be skewed. The whole color balance of this photo looks wrong, so I don't think color can be a determining factor. Considering the lack of referents in the photo it is also impossible to tell the angle of the rock (up facing or down facing) because you don't have any reference to determine the angle at which the camera is held.


As far as clarity, the Hegman Lake pictos are very clear, perhaps too clear.

Sorry I'm too lazy to log in.
Super fake. But it doesn't surprise me that some people think they are real. Some people believe anything they see or read. There are no 'undiscovered' pictos on Basswood.
And the S. Hegman pictos are fake too. Sorry to say.

Ed.

Banksiana: "Due to the nature of digital photography; you can't judge a pictograph by its color. If the camera is improperly white balanced (or choses an inaccurate white balance in an automatic camera) the color will be skewed. The whole color balance of this photo looks wrong, so I don't think color can be a determining factor. Considering the lack of referents in the photo it is also impossible to tell the angle of the rock (up facing or down facing) because you don't have any reference to determine the angle at which the camera is held.



As far as clarity, the Hegman Lake pictos are very clear, perhaps too clear. "

Bansiana, when was this photo taken? It seems so sharp. Here's my photo from 1999 taken with, I think, a P/S Olympus. The moose in my photo seems to be missing more paint on his body. Of course, it may be just old/versus new camera technology.

Photo was taken in 2005. Saturation is tweaked to emphasize the pictographs.

I don't know if the "Basswood Lake" pictographs are real or not. What I do know is that the photograph in the linked post is of such limited quality and scope does not provide evidence to make a judgement in either direction.

Seems to me it could be possible that unknown pictographs are out there. I had a friend take me to a site (sworn to secrecy) on a lake close to Ely with hundreds of cabins and loads of traffic to show me a set of 2 pictographs and a petroglyph that he "discovered".

So how about this one. Real, fake, or just a natural color formation.



This is a screenshot from my photo album of a suspected picto.

airmorse: "So how about this one. Real, fake, or just a natural color formation.





This is a screenshot from my photo album of a suspected picto."

I think I see a fair amount of those on panels. They didn't have erasers.

Could be orange lichen.=_

airmorse: "So how about this one. Real, fake, or just a natural color formation.





This is a screenshot from my photo album of a suspected picto."

To me that screen shot looks more legit than the fake new one on Basswood. Where did ya see that? Reminds me of the Jordan Lake ones that are pretty faded, but your pic could be just some coloration on the rocks—-it is hard to tell, but the fact it is faded and hard to tell makes it more likely it could have been missed. But now place a large perfectly formed Orange picto in the same spot and tell me everyone missed it for 200 years on one of the busiest lakes in the BWCAW and I’ll tell ya it is a fake every time...lol

T

timatkn: "

airmorse: "So how about this one. Real, fake, or just a natural color formation.







This is a screenshot from my photo album of a suspected picto."

To me that screen shot looks more legit than the fake new one on Basswood. Where did ya see that? Reminds me of the Jordan Lake ones that are pretty faded, but your pic could be just some coloration on the rocks—-it is hard to tell, but the fact it is faded and hard to tell makes it more likely it could have been missed. But now place a large perfectly formed Orange picto in the same spot and tell me everyone missed it for 200 years on one of the busiest lakes in the BWCAW and I’ll tell ya it is a fake every time...lol


T"

We saw the suspected picto on Seagull lake on our way to Knife last year.

airmorse: "We saw the suspected picto on Seagull lake on our way to Knife last year."

If that one is on the Palisades of Seagull Lake, it is a known pictograph.

inspector13: "

airmorse: "We saw the suspected picto on Seagull lake on our way to Knife last year."

If that one is on the Palisades of Seagull Lake, it is a known pictograph.


"

Yes that is where the photo was taken.

timatkn:
To me that screen shot looks more legit than the fake new one on Basswood. Where did ya see that? Reminds me of the Jordan Lake ones that are pretty faded, but your pic could be just some coloration on the rocks—-it is hard to tell, but the fact it is faded and hard to tell makes it more likely it could have been missed. But now place a large perfectly formed Orange picto in the same spot and tell me everyone missed it for 200 years on one of the busiest lakes in the BWCAW and I’ll tell ya it is a fake every time...lol


T"

Not defending the legitimacy of the "Basswood Lake Picto", just pointing out that it is impossible to determine the size of the pictograph from the photo given as evidence. It's a degraded image, a small crop of a much larger image- the area of the crop suffering from blown highlights. The color balance of the image is also messed up- probably due to over exposure. I messed a little with the image, balanced the color to try and achieve "pictograph reddish", doesn't really make it look any more legit. The point is that we are rendering judgement on the veracity of the pictograph using only a really crappy photo as evidence. The photo is useless to determine the legitimacy of the pictograph.

You Make good points, none of us here know for certain either way, I am just saying based on the evidence I have been supplied, the pic, the story, the lake...I’d bet money in Vegas it is a fake is all I am saying. I’ve been wrong before, like the time I took the Gophers straight up in the first round of the NCAA tourney last year :)

T

timatkn: "You Make good points, none of us here know for certain either way, I am just saying based on the evidence I have been supplied, the pic, the story, the lake...I’d bet money in Vegas it is a fake is all I am saying. I’ve been wrong before, like the time I took the Gophers straight up in the first round of the NCAA tourney last year :)


T"

I know for certain it's a real pictograph and would be willing to wager anyone on this site $10,000.00 to that effect, any takers?

Of course I am skeptical as to the age it was created.

nooneuno: "

timatkn: "You Make good points, none of us here know for certain either way, I am just saying based on the evidence I have been supplied, the pic, the story, the lake...I’d bet money in Vegas it is a fake is all I am saying. I’ve been wrong before, like the time I took the Gophers straight up in the first round of the NCAA tourney last year :)



T"

I know for certain it's a real pictograph and would be willing to wager anyone on this site $10,000.00 to that effect, any takers?


Of course I am skeptical as to the age it was created."

Good way to hedge your bet. Lol

No clue one way or the other, but the Schurkes, who were there when this was "discovered," are very well versed in Native lore, and I have a hard time believe that Paul, in particular, would lay his name to this "discovery" if he did not deem it legitimate.

Frenchy19: "No clue one way or the other, but the Schurkes, who were there when this was "discovered," are very well versed in Native lore, and I have a hard time believe that Paul, in particular, would lay his name to this "discovery" if he did not deem it legitimate. "

No disrespect but that sounds like a motive to commit such a deed. "I'm an expert, THATS why I found this". Everyone appreciates a good character witness but this is a photograph of a "discovery" of art on a rock. Is the rock gone? Hidden so well only the Schurkes are the only ones to have found it and NO ONE else has a pic of? Not trying to argue but anything short of another pic of the same pictograph is asinine to accept.

nooneuno: "

timatkn: "You Make good points, none of us here know for certain either way, I am just saying based on the evidence I have been supplied, the pic, the story, the lake...I’d bet money in Vegas it is a fake is all I am saying. I’ve been wrong before, like the time I took the Gophers straight up in the first round of the NCAA tourney last year :)



T"

I know for certain it's a real pictograph and would be willing to wager anyone on this site $10,000.00 to that effect, any takers?


Of course I am skeptical as to the age it was created."

Lol... sucker bet