There are discussions underway in Ely about whether to move Pillow Rock to a new location or not. Pillow rock is geological curiosity about the size of a large VW Beetle that sits almost on top of Main street a few blocks north of Sheridan street. I think they want to move it to a spot where more people can see it. It's in a neighborhood now.

It has green "pillows" of Ely greenstone embedded in it. I took a CE geology class at VCC a few years ago and we studied it. I seem to recall the pillows are green because they formed underwater and algae colored them. They believe the pillows did not form in the attitude the rock sits now by studying how they look.

Nobody knows if a glacier placed it where it is now or because it's near the edge of a mine it was put there to get it out of the way. They also don't know how deep it goes and if it's like a tooth with deep roots.

As I understand it The North American Bear Center wants it located there and they will finance the move.

I wonder what type of equipment it would require to move it and if it can be done without damaging it?

If it was up to me and I could afford it I would move it the where the Pioneer Mine Headframe and museum is. The area is open for tours and has some great historical pieces and interpretative displays.

The Ely city council voted last evening to get public input before making a decision. You can Google it to see photos and read about the move first proposed in 2014.

If the public is in favor of a move maybe Magnetic Rock could be moved closer to the Gunflint Trail to avoid the long unshaded walk to see it.

Was just there last October!

What do you mean by: "If the public is in favor of a move maybe Magnetic Rock could be moved closer to the Gunflint Trail to avoid the long unshaded walk to see it."

It would be a shame if it wasn't structurally sound and it broke apart when they tried to move it. Then again - we didn't stay too long since I felt awkward in the neighborhood.

I do like the idea of a private organization financing the move vs. public dollars.

Thanks for posting that great photo of the rock. I couldn't find any good photos of it. The kid is cute and gives a great reference for scale.

My magnetic rock comment was meant to be a joke although it may get people thinking.

Wow, I was never aware of this! Is it on private property now? Looks like there would potentially be a lot of damage to it and the area if it were to be moved.

No it's on City Property on a boulevard with a ravine to the north. There are no homes on that side of Main St. in that vicinity.
The city would retain ownership wherever it goes.

People do move big rocks for construction with little damage. With all the mining and quarrying experience in the area, I'm guessing it could be done.

The key would be figuring out how far down it goes. Some small drill holes around the edges, to see when it gets hit again might help and be simple. A geophysics class could also do some gravity and magnetic studies to try and figure it out.

While having the bear center fund any work sounds good, I like the idea of the Pioneer Mine or somewhere on Sheridan Street where it is seen more.

A comment on the origins of the Ely greenstone:

The Ely greenstone (as the sign in the photo suggests) is an an ancient basaltic lava flow (think Hawaii). The "pillows" are the result of this lava being erupted and flowing underwater. The outer surfaces cool quickly and the inside remains liquid longer and forms these blocky tubes we call pillows.

The green color is the result of metamorphism, that is, alteration due to high temperature, pressure, and fluids in the crust. The greenish color comes from the transformation of minerals in the basalt to common green minerals like chlorite, actinolite, and epidote.

As a geologist, my opinion is that the issue with moving outcrops such as this are twofold. One, you risk damaging the rock. Two, you lose geological context. Sites such as these can be great resources for teaching and future research. However, if you move it you risk losing that for future generations. This is especially true for Magnetic Rock.

Then again, if Pillow Rock was put there by a mine then thats less of an issue.

According to this Ely Echo article both the Minnesota Geological Survey and geologists from UM-Duluth are involved in evaluating the feasibility and other issues of the move. That sounds good.

Looking at the pictures, it seems large to have been moved by a mine. If I was just trying to get it out of the way, it would be in smaller pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a glacial erratic, albeit not from very far away.

I'm also an earth scientist (seismology) and understand the research issues but also see a lot of educational value in getting it somewhere it gets seen more.

Oh schist. Good luck with that Ely.

With the close scrutiny that Ely comes under when any suggestion of "moving rock" (mining) is brought up, will these same people insist on an EIS before moving "Sulfide Rock" (aka, Pillow Rock), to another location? :)

OW..that pun just rocked me!

There was some talk of moving it to the parking lot on Chapman Street where Pamida used to be. Did anyone considered moving it to that parking lot East of Mike's Liquors?
It would be a more central location on Sheridan street than at the NABC.

quote jcavenagh: "OW..that pun just rocked me! "

Gneiss.

quote Zulu: "There was some talk of moving it to the parking lot on Chapman Street where Pamida used to be. Did anyone considered moving it to that parking lot East of Mike's Liquors?
It would be a more central location on Sheridan street than at the NABC."

Yes Patrick, some did suggest moving it to the parking lot just east of Mike's Liquor, but they have gone missing, and no one has mentioned it since!! :)

oh wow, I had no idea it even exists

Magnetic rock...funny thing is that when I saw it, I started on the other end of the border route trail. The hike from the rock to the end of the line was a minor thing at that point.

if you read the sign it says outcrop, and it sure likes like one

is this another stimulus plan to put people to work?

According to Dick Ojakangas, Professor Emeritus of Geology UMD (and husband of Bea), the Pillow Rock is indeed a glacial erratic that originated about 100 meters to the north of where it is now located. How large it is though, he never said.

Ely ain't that big, seems to me anybody truly interested in seeing it wouldn't mind going four blocks out of their way to do so.

I think while they're at it they should move the D.Q. out to Fall Lake campground too.

Glacial erratics can be really large. I grew up on the north shore of Long Island where the Holocene glaciation stopped and dropped the big rocks and the melt water washed the sand to the south shore. We had some bigger boulders than the Ely rock lying around the neighborhood and no bedrock or outcrops. Just a pig pile of sand, dirt, and rocks.

Yeah, Ely isn't big but sometimes you need to make it easy on people if you want to educate them.

For sure. I'll bet ninety per cent of the people that visit Ely aren't aware that Shagawa Lake is two blocks from town. A real nice lake. Four blocks to see a cool rock? Probably few and far between. If it's that special, put it in the bear thingy. That seems to make sense. An exhibit type environment where it's story could be told and seen.
Geology rocks, please pardon the expression.

quote scat: "
Geology rocks, please pardon the expression. "

Why yes, we do rock .

I transferred to the U of Illinois to be a geology major from a small college in Davenport, Iowa. Ended up with a useless economics degree. It was very cliquish coming in third year and I never really got the hang of what was going on. So I bailed. Man, I wish I could go back to 1982 and start over. Tough school. Hard environment to get in to. But, I certainly had a lot of fun and got my sheepskin in the end, just not in geology. We saw some very interesting rock forms on Malberg Lake. I can still rock.

quote scat: "...If it's that special, put it in the bear thingy. That seems to make sense. An exhibit type environment where it's story could be told and seen."

and, move Kawishiwi Falls to Whiteside Park while you're at it. Lots closer and you avoid that annoying walk in the woods.

Whatever - I really couldn't care less. Don't think I'll ever make the four block detour nor a trip to the bear center. Have you? I'm guessing no. And if you have, I'm happy for you. Sounds like a cool rock though.

All Ely rocks are cool, especially in January!! :)

Comparing a walk in the woods to see waterfalls in the BW to a four block walk in Ely down to what is reported here previously as a sketchy neighborhood to see a rock is, well, a stretch. Nice try.

quote The Great Outdoors: "All Ely rocks are cool, especially in January!! :)"

Nice!

Why move it at all? Is some real estate speculator angling to purchase the property for development?

TGO, what's the "Rest of the Story?"

Some couple came up with the idea to move it to Chapman Street, in the vacant lot between the old James Drug Store and the old Pamida Shop.
They would then build a Kiosk, so people could drink coffee and chat when mingling at "The Rock!".
The idea then went to the Bear Center, for whatever reason.
I think it's ridiculous since it will probably shatter when the attempt to move it begins.
And just to play Devil's Advocate and be a pain in the a**, I want an EIS to see the amount of sulfides that would be spread around in the process, just as some want for the highway rebuild near Eagles Nest on highway 169.
Let "Sulfide Rock" stay right where it is, and anyone who really wants to see it can walk over as others have suggested!!
However, I think moving the Dairy Queen to the Fall Lake Landing, does have some merit!! :)

quote The Great Outdoors: "Some couple came up with the idea to move it to Chapman Street, in the vacant lot between the old James Drug Store and the old Pamida Shop.
They would then build a Kiosk, so people could drink coffee and chat when mingling at "The Rock!".
The idea then went to the Bear Center, for whatever reason.
I think it's ridiculous since it will probably shatter when the attempt to move it begins.
And just to play Devil's Advocate and be a pain in the a**, I want an EIS to see the amount of sulfides that would be spread around in the process, just as some want for the highway rebuild near Eagles Nest on highway 169.
Let "Sulfide Rock" stay right where it is, and anyone who really wants to see it can walk over as others have suggested!!
However, I think moving the Dairy Queen to the Fall Lake Landing, does have some merit!! :)"

Agree. It is where it is for a reason; leave it there! Not that hard to go check it out-and it is worth the short side trip.

Really if they move it from its original site is it different than any other rock? I think it loses some of its mystic.

Didn't like the idea of the fence around the rock. Was a fun place for kids to play and hide. Now I get the fence, it was so some swampy won't steal it!

quote 2old4U: "Ely ain't that big, seems to me anybody truly interested in seeing it wouldn't mind going four blocks out of their way to do so.


I think while they're at it they should move the D.Q. out to Fall Lake campground too.
"

LOL! Priceless.