This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY" MOVED

[sportsfanatic85]

Rock Fans Attend Rally

Indian Head Rock rally participants view historical documents about the rock in the city service garage Thursday.
T.W. Allen/Daily Times
By T.W. Allen
PDT Staff Writer
Published:
Thursday, March 20, 2008 10:00 PM CDT
Curious area residents and fans of the now-famous Indian Head Rock gathered at the Portsmouth city service garage Thursday, for a celebration of the rock and its history. The Indian Head Rock has received its fair share of attention since it was extracted from the Ohio River in September.

There have been several national news stories about the rock. The New York Times visited the area to cover the disagreement over the rock. CBS Evening News has been in town to cover the rock debate, and also attended the rally to film a segment that will air on March 28.

T-shirts celebrating the rock were for sale in the Scioto County Welcome Center that call it a "solid part of Ohio's history."

An estimated 1,000-plus people came to see the rock during the rally in the city service garage Thursday.

"I have only lived in Portsmouth for 21 years, but I have heard a lot of hype about the rock. All of my relatives are from Kentucky, and I grew up in the hills of Kentucky," said Jodilynn Daugherty of Portsmouth. "Frankly, I think that we (Portsmouth) are the ones that did all of the work and all of this different stuff. So, if Kentucky wants it, let them dig it up the way we (Portsmouth) did. This is a part of our history. It's a part of our lives. This whole area, whoever owns the rock, it's a part of my roots. The rock belongs to mankind not a state."

"It's really cool," said Sarah Anderson, a longtime Portsmouth resident, after seeing the rock for the first time. "I have friends that live all over the United States, everything from Washington D.C., to New York. It's in the paper everywhere. It's priceless, kind of funny, but still kind of priceless. I say at least it has put Portsmouth on the map. We are fighting with Kentucky, but it's ours."

A number of Kentuckians say the rock should remain in Kentucky.

Kentucky Rep. Reginald Meeks, introduced legislation into the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky that condemns the removal of the Indian Head Rock. The bill also says, "The citizens of Kentucky believe that removing the Indian Head Rock to Portsmouth, Ohio, for display shows disrespect to this country's Native American heritage; and whereas, Kentucky's Native American Heritage Commission voted on November 1, 2007, for a resolution calling for the return of Indian Head Rock to its original location."

Meeks said Ohio has taken the rock illegally.

"There have been some illegal actions taken in Portsmouth to get this rock," he said. "These individuals came across state lines, they came into Kentucky and they removed this item which was in violation of both state and federal law. They then tried to cover their tracks by making application to the corps of engineer after the fact. The corps has indicated to them that they do not intend to give them that permission, because there is a criminal case proceeding.

"These individuals are celebrating these illegal activities, and apparently have gotten the community involved in celebrating these illegal activities. I do not believe the majority of the good people of Portsmouth condone these kinds of illegal actions and then celebrating these actions in a very public way. It seems to me these city officials and state officials are rubbing their noses at state and federal law," Meeks said.

He further explained his goal of bringing forth the legislation is to see individuals who have broken state and federal laws are brought to justice. The legislation that was brought forth by Meeks was adopted by the Kentucky House of Representatives on Jan. 22.

There is a pending criminal trial in the commonwealth of Kentucky in which several individuals have been summoned by the court to appear next week. Among those people include Portsmouth Mayor Jim Kalb, who is to report before a Greenup County (Ky.) Grand Jury on March 28.

"It's a hard decision, I have talked with Rep. Todd Book. I am interested to see how this plays out. It appears there is some serious controversy regarding the nature of the rock. I have found all of this to be interesting, certainly to see the intensity of the feelings that seem to be surrounding this," Gov. Ted Strickland said.

Strickland said some residents may be taking the feud over the rock too seriously.

"There are huge problems that face the area, but on the other hand, this rock has been around a long time," he said. "I think (it) apparently stirs up a lot of local interest on the part of those who would have questions about its history. I think it's important not to take this too seriously."

After several attempts to contact Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and his office for a statement, the following was released by Vicki Glass, deputy communications officer and spokeswoman, for the Office of the Governor of Kentucky.

"This matter is under review by the Governor's Kentucky Heritage Council. We are concerned due to the historic significance of the Indian Head Rock and its importance to Kentucky's Native Americans," Glass said.

Ohio Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott, was on hand at the rock rally, and said he found enjoyment in the amount of people that came out for the event.

He introduced legislation into the Ohio House of Representatives that "calls upon officials from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to abandon Kentucky's claims of ownership to this artifact and to work with the state of Ohio to effectively preserve and care for it."

Book said a lot of curious people attended the event to catch a glimpse of the rock.

"People want to see the rock. We have been talking about this for a long time, and now people want to see what the fuss is about," he said. "I think so far, everyone has been excited about it."

At the rally were students from area schools who read essays they had written about the rock and what should be done with it. Megan Bell of Valley High School was the high school winner. She was awarded a $500 scholarship.