My wife and I are headed to Kawnipi Lake. We'd like to survey and photograph some pictographs. Any recommendations? We'll be base camping on Kawnipi.

When are you going in? I plan to arrive on Kawnipi 6/27 and depart for Agnes on 6/30.
The McKenzie maps show pictos on the tip of the peninsula between Kawa and McKenzie bays, but I have been told they are not much to see. I do recall seeing some on my first trip, '79. They were poor quality compared to most I have seen at other sites and required beaching and walking to the rock wall. I am not sure they are the same ones marked on the map.
What is your route in and out, there are good pictos in other places.
And welcome to the site.

The one on Kawa bay is a bit easier to spot than the one at the head of McKenzie Bay ... it is really faded. Both of these are visible from the water. I've not visited the "walk-up" picto bhouse mentioned.

Since bhouse mentioned Agnes and it is likely route up from the Prairie Portage direction (and reachable as a day trip from Kawnipi), Agnes has about 8 pictograph sites (a fair number of which are on the northern half of the lake) and 1 petroglyph site (although there is some debate as to the authenticity of the petroglyph). If you use the Keewatin route between Agnes and Kawnipi there is another pictograph site there (and if you wish to make a jog over to Payne, via Williams, there is another site located there). If you happened to position your base camp nearer McKenzie Bay, you might also make the trip over to McKenzie Lake, there a a couple of pictos on the south end of the lake ... just be prepared for a semi-difficult portage. And if you are up for a challenge, you might try a bushwhack into Swartman (south of McVicar Bay).

Those are the only ones that come to mind off the top of my head that are potentially reachable from Kawnipi on a day-trip basis (albeit, some day trips will be long days).

Since you are taking photo's, I'll also suggest that you take several shots at each picto from a variety of perspectives. Sometimes your shot angle relative to the rock face and the light source makes a difference in the clarity of the image. And if you are unsure, take a few shots anyway. I often do this and then do some digital manipulation (e.g. photoshop) to bring out the picto. If you ramp up the reds and dampen the yellows and blues, you will sometimes be able to detect other aspects of the picto that are not obvious when you are looking at the image on site. An example of this is the picto on Kawa bay. One image is reasonably distinct and you might be able to detect two others that are faint immediately adjacent (all the same symbol, BTW). These additional images are more obvious with digital manipulation and there is a hint that there could be as many as 5 images there.

Good luck with your search.

dd

dentondoc, good input. Do you know of a map showing these locations?

quote bhouse46: "dentondoc, good input. Do you know of a map showing these locations?"

I was able to locate most of them using the description and rough maps provided in the book Magic on the Rocks by Michael Furtman. It sometimes took a little bit of looking, but in many cases if you get close to the location you can spot an appropriate looking rock face from some distance away.



To illustrate results from digital manipulation, here is a shot of "Standing Man" which appears on the west shoreline on Agnes Lake approximately 1/4 mile north of Louisa Falls. This image is rather faint and is frequently missed because it is unusually high up above the water line. Digital enhancement shows this image more clearly and even suggest that "Standing Man" may also be wearing some form of head dress. Also present in this shot are two "finger marks" at approximately the 2 o'clock position from "Standing Man." These are unlikely to be naturally occurring shades because they shift color in the same spectrum as "Standing Man."

Similar images are rather common. For example, there is a similar "Standing Man" image at the waterline on Paull Lake in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park.

dd

Dentondoc, Is that book on pictographs worth buying or not?

quote OldFingers57: "Dentondoc, Is that book on pictographs worth buying or not? "

From my perspective, it was a good decision to buy. It enabled me to find a very significant number of pictographs in Quetico. The maps are not great, but I found them to be mostly sufficient to locate a picto. After a while, you get to the point that you begin to understand what kind of rock face to look for and the type of colors that are frequently associated with pictographs. (Unfortunately, some natural rock colors are the same shade as the red ochre used in pictographs.)

I haven't actually kept a log of all the different sites I've visited in Quetico, but at this point it must be well over 40. Some symbols are relative common (e.g., people in canoes seems to be an abundant theme), but then you also notice other symbols that occur with some frequency (e.g., turtles, moose and other animals, as well as "mystical figures"). But the more you find, the easier it is to locate others and I've found many of the same "themes" expressed in pictographs in other places, like Woodland Caribou PP. (BTW: If you find yourself planning a trip to WCPP, there is an actual map of picto locations.) I've even notice a degree of similarity with pictographs and petroglyphs in the dessert southwestern US. The animals are often different, but then I didn't expect to be a large bison embedded in a large mural of pictos on Artery Lake in WCPP either.

Yes, I know I've kind of wandered off of the question you asked, but I hope you get the idea I'm trying to express.

dd

We'll entering thru Cache Bay, Falls Chain. Any ideas for other day trips? Maybe bruin spotting?

quote dentondoc: "

quote OldFingers57: "Dentondoc, Is that book on pictographs worth buying or not? "

From my perspective, it was a good decision to buy. It enabled me to find a very significant number of pictographs in Quetico. The maps are not great, but I found them to be mostly sufficient to locate a picto. After a while, you get to the point that you begin to understand what kind of rock face to look for and the type of colors that are frequently associated with pictographs. (Unfortunately, some natural rock colors are the same shade as the red ochre used in pictographs.)

I haven't actually kept a log of all the different sites I've visited in Quetico, but at this point it must be well over 40. Some symbols are relative common (e.g., people in canoes seems to be an abundant theme), but then you also notice other symbols that occur with some frequency (e.g., turtles, moose and other animals, as well as "mystical figures"). But the more you find, the easier it is to locate others and I've found many of the same "themes" expressed in pictographs in other places, like Woodland Caribou PP. (BTW: If you find yourself planning a trip to WCPP, there is an actual map of picto locations.) I've even notice a degree of similarity with pictographs and petroglyphs in the dessert southwestern US. The animals are often different, but then I didn't expect to be a large bison embedded in a large mural of pictos on Artery Lake in WCPP either.

Yes, I know I've kind of wandered off of the question you asked, but I hope you get the idea I'm trying to express.

dd
"

Thanks for the info. I will probably purchase it.

quote OxBow: " We'll entering thru Cache Bay, Falls Chain. Any ideas for other day trips? Maybe bruin spotting? "

There are some pictographs WNW of the Ranger Station ... many "people" in canoes.

I've seen black bear on Kawnipi (Lemay Bay), even a wolf where Kawnipi joins Murdock. Didn't spot any wildlife on the route up the Falls Chain, perhaps because I was busy wetting a line at each of the falls.

dd

I'm heading to the falls too this year. Any campsites in the area? My maps don't show any, but that could be for good reason.

We just got back from Agnes/Kawnipi and the S chain. Going in on Agnes we couldn't find the first two sets of pictos shown on the Fisher maps (on the south end of the lake), but did find the next two sets to the north.

Interestingly enough, after the trip we were reading the Quetico information guide, and it asks that you not take photos of the pictographs, at the request of the tribe elders. They say it removes some of the spirituality of the sites when pictures are taken.

To each his/her own, I'm not going to comment on whether taking pics is right or wrong, OR whether we took them or not.

I AM curious as to the dating of these pictos. Some up in the Crooked area show guns...

Joe

To illustrate results from digital manipulation, here is a shot of "Standing Man" which appears on the west shoreline on Agnes Lake approximately 1/4 mile north of Louisa Falls. This image is rather faint and is frequently missed because it is unusually high up above the water line. Digital enhancement shows this image more clearly and even suggest that "Standing Man" may also be wearing some form of head dress. Also present in this shot are two "finger marks" at approximately the 2 o'clock position from "Standing Man." These are unlikely to be naturally occurring shades because they shift color in the same spectrum as "Standing Man."

Nice llustration of the phototshop advantages. Thanks.

Keewatin Lake is definitely worth a daytrip (trout and bass). I don't think there's a campsite on it though. Regarding wildlife, we saw a wolf trotting along the shoreline and another time a mother and baby moose swimming, both in the maze of channels and islands near the Kahshahpiwi Creek end of Kawnipi.

quote Oisinirish: "


To illustrate results from digital manipulation, here is a shot of "Standing Man" which appears on the west shoreline on Agnes Lake approximately 1/4 mile north of Louisa Falls. This image is rather faint and is frequently missed because it is unusually high up above the water line. Digital enhancement shows this image more clearly and even suggest that "Standing Man" may also be wearing some form of head dress. Also present in this shot are two "finger marks" at approximately the 2 o'clock position from "Standing Man." These are unlikely to be naturally occurring shades because they shift color in the same spectrum as "Standing Man."


Nice llustration of the phototshop advantages. Thanks. "

Link? Photo?

billconner- It refers to DentonDoc's post above; took me a while to figure out too ;).

DentonDoc or anyone else,

Have you went to the Swartmen Lake Pictos from Kawnipi? How long does the bushwhack take? I have been to Kawnipi and bushwhacked in the past just trying to plan a day trip if it is realistic. Thanks guys.

Anyone interested in pictos will enjoy the pictograph bulletins from Northwoods Memories. I read and compiled info from Furtman's book and a few other sources prior to our Lac La Croix trip this summer, which added immensely to the appreciation. It wasn't until after our visit, however, that I stumbled across the Northwoods Memories web site and ordered the 3 bulletins for LLC. They have quite a bit of additional information, plus some panorama photos that provide a better understanding of where on the rocks each figure is located.

The bulletins are also available from a number of outfitters, and from Fisher Maps.

The bulletin for Kawnipi, alas, has not yet been printed.