Mysterious old rocks

During the last rebuilding of U.S. Highway 2 just north of Coram years ago, a boulder size rock was found in trees within the new right of way, and it was extremely unique because of very old but still visible lettering carved into it.

The crude lettering indicated a white explorer had died there a couple of years before the Lewis and Clark expedition. As I recall it was dated about 1802 or ‘03. Wisely, Mel Ruder took close up pictures for his paper. There was much talk about what was, and still is, a very authentic mystery. Recently, history buff friends of mine were trying to find what happened to the rock, and they obtained prints of Mel’s photos.

Now! I am going to give those inquisitive guys an even bigger mystery to investigate. The following article was written by well know local World War II veteran and long time reporter, the late Larry Stem. It was published in the Spokesman Review in 1966:

(Quote) Currently displayed in a special case at the Flathead Historical Society Museum is a flat piece of sandstone, possibly 20 inches long, about 11 inches wide and 2 inches thick. Scratched into the surface, apparently by a sharp rock, is a rough outline of the Flathead Valley and its surrounding mountain ranges, an inset of the Foy’s Lake Chain, laid in a proper proportion and direction, a scratched date of 1744, and the lettering “Pr. B. Roth.”

If this rock is authentic, and there is every reason to believe it is, it might be a record of the first coming of a white man to the State of Montana, 60 years before Lewis and Clark (In 1804).

FOUND BY PORKER – The rock was brought to light by a hog rooting in the barnyard at the Herron Hereford Ranch which overlooks Foy’s Lake, in the summer of 1952. At the time Iven and Vivian Herron were picking up every rock they could find in the barnyard to build a ramp to support an irrigation pumphouse on the shore of Foy’s Lake. When Vivian found this particular rock, she brushed away dirt and debris, and the outlined map and letter became apparent.

In the course of 13 years, the rock has been brought out many times for visitors including archaeologists and geologists to see, and finally the rock was put on public display this year.

VISITORS ASSAY CLUE – Herron tells of an archeologist form Portland who said he believed, “the rock was not carved by any man now living. It is not a tombstone and … is worth a small fortune.” Those remarks sent Herron on a digging expedition. (He dug 7 feet without finding a grave or anything else.) One visiting geologist said the rock was exactly the same type of sandstone Herron had used to build the fireplace in his home.

RECORD STUDIED – Through family writings and records of Jesuits, there was such a person as “PR B. Roth”, the Pr for father, and the “B” for Bernard Roth, as Mrs. Grace Tretheway (Early Flathead pioneer) discovered several years ago through correspondence with the Roth family.

In the search of two centuries of family archives, it was found that a Bernard Roth had entered the priesthood, and came early to North America. He was known to have been in the area of what is now Pierre, South Dakota, in 1743. The Roth trail ends at Pierre, but the sandstone slab may have advanced him another year forward and 700 miles westward.

Herron’s rock may be one small window in history. If carbon dating confirms what Herron believes to be true, it would be a strong base upon which to make the stand that there was a white man in Western Montana 221 years ago. (End of quotes from Larry Stem’s article.) Of course Larry’s “221 years” are now 268.

This writer has made no effort to find out where “the rock” is now or get further historical info; however, that effort seems to be a fascinating cal to adventure for someone … not semi-retired.

G. George Ostrom is a Kalispell resident and a national award-winning Hungry Horse News columnist.