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Posted: 10:14 PM Sep 27, 2007
Archeological Discovery in Ohio River Causes Debate
A recent river recovery of an eight ton treasure was followed by angry claims of archeological thievery. Reporter: Randy YoheEmail Address: randy.yohe@wsaz.com |
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64 Comments 
Photos 
It’s like a discovery channel special, a living history lesson and a heated border war all rolled into one. A recent river recovery of an eight ton treasure was followed by angry claims of archeological thievery.
This sandstone scratching is far from another face in the crowd. After years of planning and weeks of effort, a Portsmouth, Ohio Volunteer Recovery Team pulled the prehistoric, legendary Indian’s Head Rock off the mighty Ohio River’s bottom.
“It was tough to get straps around it,” recovery team diver Dave Vetter said.
In the 18 and early 1900's before the days of locks and dams, the boulder would pop up every decade or so, depending on river levels the rock became a popular tourist attraction, a gilded age photo op, featured in post cards. Some of Portsmouth’s most prominent citizens scratched their names in the sandstone. Some think maybe this smiling face is an ancient Indian petroglyph, or maybe not.
“Maybe a quarrymen or an alien from Mars,” Vetter said.
The recovery team presented the rock to the city of Portsmouth for public display.
“People can study history, it better than where it was,” Mayor Jim Kalb said.
Technically speaking, Corps of Engineers folks say this stretch of Ohio River is Kentucky property and now an angry group of Kentuckians from across the river is mounting a political and legal battle, calling the Ohio Rock Recovery Team archeological looters and possible interstate felons.
“They stole it, the consensus is to study it and put it back,” Joe Stockham of South Shore said.
The city of Portsmouth hopes to display Indian's Head Rock at the welcome center or the new city hall. Meanwhile the Kentucky group says the attorney general's office is contacting the state police to file theft charges against the Ohio recovery team.
Latest Comments
Like many in ohio, how many of those living in ky., actually knew that dumb rock was there and if it means so much why didnt ky go get it out of the water. its a rock for pete's sake. Now that it is out of the water and the work is done, ky wants it and for what . this is like two kids fighting over a toy that they really don't want. I have heard so much about this STUPID case of the rock it is embarrassing. with the city governments in turmoil the big shots fight over a rock, how sad. we have kids going hungry, elder abuse, drugs, prostutes and these two states are wasting monies to go to the top of the mountain get ownership of a ROCK. If you are so scared of someone taking a piece of the rock, throw the thing back in the river, why pay money to put a fence around it for protection. SHAME ON BOTH STATES AND GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED. by the way, who ever wrote the letter on mar. 20@6:02 needs to use a dictionary.
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Sounds like the song..."One Tin Soldier"...where the People of the Valley go to war with the Kingdom on the Hill over a Treasure.."Peace on Earth". How ironic!!
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Prove...... it is your rock. It's called the Ohio river Not the Ky river for a reason!!!!!
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