Supporters of Pilot Knob in Mendota Heights Restore Past, Invite Public

Pilot Knob in Mendota Heights sits high above the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. The site, located on Pilot Knob Road across from Acacia Cemetery, may look like just a field to an untrained eye. In reality, it’s a nationally-known landmark.

Named Pilot Knob for the peak used to guide riverboat captains, the 27-acre area is also known as Oheyawahi, a Dakota word meaning “a hill much visited.”  

Thanks to local supporters, Pilot Knob is increasingly living up to its name. A new full-color pamphlet about the site is published and being distributed, and a small parking lot for visitors will soon be under construction.

“There are so many ways to connect with the site,” said Gail Lewellan of the Pilot Knob Preservation Association (PKPA). “Some may come to feel its spiritual significance, others may visit because of the history, the treaty that was signed here. Some may just care about the ecological aspect. A more recent Dakota name for Oheyawahi is 'Wotakuye Paha,' ‘The hill of all the relatives.’ Everyone is welcome to come and connect.”

A historical gem

The Pilot Knob Preservation Association is just one of the organizations that have committed to preserving Pilot Knob, restoring it to pre-settlement conditions, and spreading the word about the area’s importance. The organization was formed when developers planned townhomes for the acreage in 2002.

“A handful of us approached the Mendota Heights City Council about the issue,” said Lewellan. “And being people of conscience, they took what we knew about the site—which was new information to them—and the development plan was eventually abandoned.”

The site is now preserved as public open space.

Native Americans consider Oheyawahi a sacred site. According to Lewellan, Dakota, Iowa and Ojibwe people used it as a gathering spot, leading to the “hill much visited” moniker. Ceremonies, burials and other gatherings took place here. The Treaty of 1851, ceding millions of acres of Dakota land to the United States, was signed at Oheyawahi. Just over a decade later, Native Americans who died while confined to camps at Fort Snelling were laid to rest on the hill.

It’s this kind of information that Lewellan’s organization hopes to pass on to the community. With Minnesota Historical Society funds, PKPA recently produced a colorful pamphlet that is distributed at points throughout the area. Interpretive signs with Dakota translations have been installed to alert visitors to the site’s importance.

Supporters have honored Native American concepts in other ways as well. One lookout point is anchored by seven stones, etched with the names of the seven council fires of the Dakota tribe. Several trails lead to large symbols built into the ground to refer to the four directions and the four colors of man, ideas important to the land’s first users.

Lewellan pointed out a small pile of rocks placed in the center of one of the symbols and a bundle of sage tied in a tree. “The site is still very much alive in terms of a sacred space,” said Llewellan.

Natural renewal

Ecologically, the area is in the midst of a ten-year plan to turn back the clock.

“We started site management in 2005, and in terms of ecology, it was trashed,” said Wiley Buck of Great River Greening, the organization coordinating the restoration plan. “It was beat up. There was building debris, brushy weeds, it had been clear cut at one point by a developer. It was lacking in native vegetation.”

The original, pre-settlement environment of the area was tall grass prairie and oak savanna. Pilot Knob had been overtaken by invasive species like sweet clover, burdock and Canada thistle. Great River Greening has coordinated the plantings of oaks, acorns, and grasses by volunteers, revitalizing the landscape.

“Ninety-nine percent of Minnesota’s prairies and savannas are gone, so any efforts to restore them are worthwhile,” said Buck. “In 2005, the DNR came out with information on non-game species in the area, and one of the greatest needs was for prairie and oak savanna. Since the start of restoring Pilot Knob, we’ve seen woodpeckers and raptors, bald eagles, butterflies, and snakes. There’s a large turkey flock that uses the site, deer, coyotes and, last spring, there were meadowlarks migrating through.”

Making Pilot Knob more appealing to human visitors is important to supporters, too. According to Todd Rexine of Great River Greening, construction starts late August on a six-stall parking lot. The current chain-link fence at the entrance will be replaced by a split-rail fence, and soil excavated during construction will be redistributed across the site.

With greater accessibility, Lewellan’s ultimate goal may come true.

“I would love to see schoolchildren walking these trails for field trips,” she said. “The continued care of this land depends on broadening the scope of those who know about its significance.”