This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY" MOVED
Re: This Should Be Interesting
Rock rally planned for Thursday
The Indian Head River Rock was pulled from the Ohio River in September 2007. Since then, Kentucky and Ohio have been at odds to who legally owns the once prominent rock.
Daily Times File Photo
BY RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY
PDT Staff Writer
Published:
Sunday, March 16, 2008 9:01 PM CDT
The controversy surrounding the Indian Head Rock continues this week, as the rock is moved from the Portsmouth City Garage to the Scioto County Welcome Center for a community rally from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday.
"It's kind of an informational thing, plus it will give people a chance to see the rock," said Assistant Minority leader Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott (89th District) of the rally on Thursday. "There's been so much talk about it, and so much exposure both locally and nationally, that we want to actually get it out of the garage and let people see it."
Book and historian Steve Shaffer, of Ironton, spoke to superintendents from all Scioto County public schools last month at the Scudder building in Portsmouth, about creating a student essay contest for fourth-graders. He said finalists in the contest may read their entries during the rally on Thursday, with a winner selected at the end of the evening.
"Prior to getting it out of the river, no one really talked too much about it, or knew too much about it. There were only a few people in Ohio and Kentucky that were even aware of it. Now that it's out, it's become important because it tells our history. Some of the names on the rock are definitely prominent names in the community. It's just a neat story," Book said.
According to local legend, the rock would surface about every decade when water dropped to a low level in the 1800s and early 1900s. People would then carve names, pictures and dates on its surface. Among them is what appears to be a smiley face whose origins are unknown.
Shaffer said there were five main theories as to the real history of how the face got on the rock.
"One is that in 1851, messages were placed on the rock, likely by early pioneers to mark the low water mark. The second is that a quarryman carved it with a metal tool. Theory No. 3 is that a band of robbers used it as a marker when they buried their loot nearby. The fourth theory is that it was carved by Native Americans, and that theory began in an account in the 1891 edition of the Portsmouth newspaper. And the fifth theory is about a hundred years old and it says a boy named John Book, a prominent member of Scioto County society who was killed in the Civil War, carved it," Shaffer said.
Once the dams were built, the rock appeared no more, because of the consistency of the level of the Ohio River. The last documented appearance of the rock was some time in the 1920s, until it was pulled from the river last September.
After the rally, the rock may or may not remain at the Welcome Center while officials decide on a permanent location, which still could be the Welcome Center.
"If you think about logically, where could the most people look at it, I suppose our place is as good as any. We have longer hours, and we're open seven days a week. We already have a couple thousand people per month coming through," said Bob Huff, president of the Chamber of Commerce, which is housed in the Welcome Center.
Huff said he thought it would be a good attraction, but said he has expressed concerns about having the rock at the Welcome Center.
"You have liability concerns. You have concerns about the legality of the whole rock issue. Kentucky claims it's theirs, and Ohio claims it's theirs. I don't know whose it is," Huff said.
Other concerns, he said, involved the actual presentation of the rock.
"Would it be encased? Would it be suspended some how that distributes the weight so that we don't run the risk of cracking the floor?," he said. "If it isn't encased ... what if someone comes in with a pocket knife and scratches it or tries to chip some off, or whatever? What if some child gets scraped, or grandma wants to take his picture from on it and he falls and gets hurt? We have to think about those liability issues."
He said these questions, among others, would need to be worked out before a permanent location could be chosen.
The fate of the Indian Head Rock has received attention by state and national media, with coverage by CBS News, The Associated Press and The New York Times. Book said the rally also will be covered CBS news crews on Thursday. It also has been the subject of a music video posted on YouTube.com, as a parody of the Queen song, "We Will Rock You." The video, posted by WNXT Radio, is called "We Will Rock U (Indian Rock Edition)." According to Bill Murphy, of WNXT, the video was created by a third party who did not wish to be identified.
Ownership of the rock continues to be questioned. Does it belong to Ohio or to Kentucky?
Earlier this month, Greenup County (Ky.) Prosecuting Attorney Cliff Duvall went as far as to issue a subpoena to Portsmouth Mayor Jim Kalb to appear in Greenup County Court, to testify before a Greenup County grand jury on March 28. Duvall said removing the rock from the Ohio River, which is largely owned by Kentucky, was a Class D felony under the Antiquities Act of Kentucky and carried a sentence of one to five years.
"Let's put the legal stuff aside. We have something that has attained some national recognition and people are interested now," Book said.
But many in our area feel it's recognition that we could do without.
"I just think it's ridiculous that these politicians want to spend this kind of money over a rock. There are so many other things they need to worry about, other than a rock. You have all the under-insured people, you have fuel prices at $4 a gallon now, there's just so much more that could be done," said Jason Kinksey, of Lucasville.
Kinskey called the issue a distraction to politicians, who have better things on which to spend their time and money.
"My job as representative has continued, and I think the mayor has continued to be the mayor, and we've all done the work we need to do. But it has not distracted. It's actually my job, and I'm sure a lot of the other elected officials' job -?it's not always fun, and this is something that has been kind of amusing for myself. But it's not something that's overarching the focus of anybody," Book said.
RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235.
The Indian Head River Rock was pulled from the Ohio River in September 2007. Since then, Kentucky and Ohio have been at odds to who legally owns the once prominent rock.
Daily Times File Photo
BY RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY
PDT Staff Writer
Published:
Sunday, March 16, 2008 9:01 PM CDT
The controversy surrounding the Indian Head Rock continues this week, as the rock is moved from the Portsmouth City Garage to the Scioto County Welcome Center for a community rally from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday.
"It's kind of an informational thing, plus it will give people a chance to see the rock," said Assistant Minority leader Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott (89th District) of the rally on Thursday. "There's been so much talk about it, and so much exposure both locally and nationally, that we want to actually get it out of the garage and let people see it."
Book and historian Steve Shaffer, of Ironton, spoke to superintendents from all Scioto County public schools last month at the Scudder building in Portsmouth, about creating a student essay contest for fourth-graders. He said finalists in the contest may read their entries during the rally on Thursday, with a winner selected at the end of the evening.
"Prior to getting it out of the river, no one really talked too much about it, or knew too much about it. There were only a few people in Ohio and Kentucky that were even aware of it. Now that it's out, it's become important because it tells our history. Some of the names on the rock are definitely prominent names in the community. It's just a neat story," Book said.
According to local legend, the rock would surface about every decade when water dropped to a low level in the 1800s and early 1900s. People would then carve names, pictures and dates on its surface. Among them is what appears to be a smiley face whose origins are unknown.
Shaffer said there were five main theories as to the real history of how the face got on the rock.
"One is that in 1851, messages were placed on the rock, likely by early pioneers to mark the low water mark. The second is that a quarryman carved it with a metal tool. Theory No. 3 is that a band of robbers used it as a marker when they buried their loot nearby. The fourth theory is that it was carved by Native Americans, and that theory began in an account in the 1891 edition of the Portsmouth newspaper. And the fifth theory is about a hundred years old and it says a boy named John Book, a prominent member of Scioto County society who was killed in the Civil War, carved it," Shaffer said.
Once the dams were built, the rock appeared no more, because of the consistency of the level of the Ohio River. The last documented appearance of the rock was some time in the 1920s, until it was pulled from the river last September.
After the rally, the rock may or may not remain at the Welcome Center while officials decide on a permanent location, which still could be the Welcome Center.
"If you think about logically, where could the most people look at it, I suppose our place is as good as any. We have longer hours, and we're open seven days a week. We already have a couple thousand people per month coming through," said Bob Huff, president of the Chamber of Commerce, which is housed in the Welcome Center.
Huff said he thought it would be a good attraction, but said he has expressed concerns about having the rock at the Welcome Center.
"You have liability concerns. You have concerns about the legality of the whole rock issue. Kentucky claims it's theirs, and Ohio claims it's theirs. I don't know whose it is," Huff said.
Other concerns, he said, involved the actual presentation of the rock.
"Would it be encased? Would it be suspended some how that distributes the weight so that we don't run the risk of cracking the floor?," he said. "If it isn't encased ... what if someone comes in with a pocket knife and scratches it or tries to chip some off, or whatever? What if some child gets scraped, or grandma wants to take his picture from on it and he falls and gets hurt? We have to think about those liability issues."
He said these questions, among others, would need to be worked out before a permanent location could be chosen.
The fate of the Indian Head Rock has received attention by state and national media, with coverage by CBS News, The Associated Press and The New York Times. Book said the rally also will be covered CBS news crews on Thursday. It also has been the subject of a music video posted on YouTube.com, as a parody of the Queen song, "We Will Rock You." The video, posted by WNXT Radio, is called "We Will Rock U (Indian Rock Edition)." According to Bill Murphy, of WNXT, the video was created by a third party who did not wish to be identified.
Ownership of the rock continues to be questioned. Does it belong to Ohio or to Kentucky?
Earlier this month, Greenup County (Ky.) Prosecuting Attorney Cliff Duvall went as far as to issue a subpoena to Portsmouth Mayor Jim Kalb to appear in Greenup County Court, to testify before a Greenup County grand jury on March 28. Duvall said removing the rock from the Ohio River, which is largely owned by Kentucky, was a Class D felony under the Antiquities Act of Kentucky and carried a sentence of one to five years.
"Let's put the legal stuff aside. We have something that has attained some national recognition and people are interested now," Book said.
But many in our area feel it's recognition that we could do without.
"I just think it's ridiculous that these politicians want to spend this kind of money over a rock. There are so many other things they need to worry about, other than a rock. You have all the under-insured people, you have fuel prices at $4 a gallon now, there's just so much more that could be done," said Jason Kinksey, of Lucasville.
Kinskey called the issue a distraction to politicians, who have better things on which to spend their time and money.
"My job as representative has continued, and I think the mayor has continued to be the mayor, and we've all done the work we need to do. But it has not distracted. It's actually my job, and I'm sure a lot of the other elected officials' job -?it's not always fun, and this is something that has been kind of amusing for myself. But it's not something that's overarching the focus of anybody," Book said.
RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235.
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ballparent
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
Do you think a bunch of Kantuckians will try and crash the rally?
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kantuckyII
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
It is really crazy..the rock belongs to Kentucky, it should go back there and let this stuff die down...
Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
ballparent wrote:Do you think a bunch of Kantuckians will try and crash the rally?
exactly what ozzieohio,and I talked about today at work
.im sure not gona miss it
Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
kantuckyII wrote:It is really crazy..the rock belongs to Kentucky, it should go back there and let this stuff die down...
if we deliver it to your house,,,will you crawl back under it?
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kantuckyII
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
biggdowgg wrote:kantuckyII wrote:It is really crazy..the rock belongs to Kentucky, it should go back there and let this stuff die down...
if we deliver it to your house,,,will you crawl back under it?
no..but..I'll have a few ready that I'll toss your way to take back with you
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BubbleGumTiger
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
biggdowgg wrote:kantuckyII wrote:It is really crazy..the rock belongs to Kentucky, it should go back there and let this stuff die down...
if we deliver it to your house,,,will you crawl back under it?
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kantuckyII
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
TigerTownTurkey wrote:biggdowgg wrote:kantuckyII wrote:It is really crazy..the rock belongs to Kentucky, it should go back there and let this stuff die down...
if we deliver it to your house,,,will you crawl back under it?
you go on back to bed ole' man!
Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
KYII wrote
That dont scare us we have seen you Kentuckiens throw, Remember Tim Couch came to us from KY.
no..but..I'll have a few ready that I'll toss your way to take back with you
That dont scare us we have seen you Kentuckiens throw, Remember Tim Couch came to us from KY.
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kantuckyII
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
Well, we do have Brandon Webb though I think he could raise a knot or two on a fellar's head. I don't know if he could get on on the You're Tiger Bait's head but the rest of ya are fair game!
I think he could raise a knot or two on a fellar's head. I don't know if he could get on on the You're Tiger Bait's head but the rest of ya are fair game!-
YOU'RE TIGER BAIT
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The Instructor
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
biggdowgg wrote:kantuckyII wrote:It is really crazy..the rock belongs to Kentucky, it should go back there and let this stuff die down...
if we deliver it to your house,,,will you crawl back under it?
I love it!
Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY" MOVED
River 'Rock' rally moves to city garage
By T.W. ALLEN
PDT Staff Writer
Published:
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 10:37 PM CDT
The Indian Head Rock plucked from the Ohio River in this past summer has put a national spotlight on Portsmouth again this week.
There were plans in place earlier in the week to move the rock from the city garage to the Scioto County Welcome Center. Those plans now have been put on hold.
A certified letter dated March 17, from the Army Corps of Engineers-Huntington (W.Va.) District office states, "Recent media publications indicate there is a proposal to move Indian's Head Rock from its current location at the city garage to the Scioto County Welcome Center sometime this week. The Corps is extremely concerned that this proposal may result in further adverse effects to this archaeological resource. We are concerned Indian's Head Rock may be damaged in transport. Furthermore, we do not have any information on the security measures or certain methods that are available at the Welcome Center."
The letter goes on to say, "We must discourage anyone from performing this activity. This action would require the Corps to evaluate the appropriateness of legal action or administrative penalties.
Ohio Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott (89th District), said, "We care about the rock, and we want to protect and preserve it. That's why we wanted to have a rally to show off the rock, so people could get a better story and a better understanding for the whole thing.
"Word was received by the mayor, and by Steve Shaffer, that moving the rock could cause damage and adverse effects to the rock, by the Corps of Engineers. I question putting the rock on a cart, as opposed to sitting on some tires; and moving the rock to the Welcome Center, as opposed to being in a city garage, where you have trucks moving around all of the time. To me, I think it would be safer and better positioned in the Welcome Center. However, I understand the concerns of the Corps, and I think it's in everybody's best interest to make sure the rock is taken care of - but we also want to promote it."
There is a rally for the rock set for Thursday evening. Because of these recent developments and recommendations by the Corps of Engineers, the rally has been moved to the city garage. It is planned for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"I think this is a way for the city to show off the rock. We will just have to go down to the city garage, and we will have our rally there," Book said.
There are many activities slated to take place during the rally. Some children are scheduled to read their essays about the rock. It's expected Shaffer will deliver some remarks about the rock.
"We are going to focus on positive ways to deal with this issue," Book said. "This idea of criminal trials and all of that stuff, to me, if we have to go that way, I guess we will go that way. I think there is a positive outcome that can be worked out here. I just hope we are wise enough to see that."
By T.W. ALLEN
PDT Staff Writer
Published:
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 10:37 PM CDT
The Indian Head Rock plucked from the Ohio River in this past summer has put a national spotlight on Portsmouth again this week.
There were plans in place earlier in the week to move the rock from the city garage to the Scioto County Welcome Center. Those plans now have been put on hold.
A certified letter dated March 17, from the Army Corps of Engineers-Huntington (W.Va.) District office states, "Recent media publications indicate there is a proposal to move Indian's Head Rock from its current location at the city garage to the Scioto County Welcome Center sometime this week. The Corps is extremely concerned that this proposal may result in further adverse effects to this archaeological resource. We are concerned Indian's Head Rock may be damaged in transport. Furthermore, we do not have any information on the security measures or certain methods that are available at the Welcome Center."
The letter goes on to say, "We must discourage anyone from performing this activity. This action would require the Corps to evaluate the appropriateness of legal action or administrative penalties.
Ohio Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott (89th District), said, "We care about the rock, and we want to protect and preserve it. That's why we wanted to have a rally to show off the rock, so people could get a better story and a better understanding for the whole thing.
"Word was received by the mayor, and by Steve Shaffer, that moving the rock could cause damage and adverse effects to the rock, by the Corps of Engineers. I question putting the rock on a cart, as opposed to sitting on some tires; and moving the rock to the Welcome Center, as opposed to being in a city garage, where you have trucks moving around all of the time. To me, I think it would be safer and better positioned in the Welcome Center. However, I understand the concerns of the Corps, and I think it's in everybody's best interest to make sure the rock is taken care of - but we also want to promote it."
There is a rally for the rock set for Thursday evening. Because of these recent developments and recommendations by the Corps of Engineers, the rally has been moved to the city garage. It is planned for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"I think this is a way for the city to show off the rock. We will just have to go down to the city garage, and we will have our rally there," Book said.
There are many activities slated to take place during the rally. Some children are scheduled to read their essays about the rock. It's expected Shaffer will deliver some remarks about the rock.
"We are going to focus on positive ways to deal with this issue," Book said. "This idea of criminal trials and all of that stuff, to me, if we have to go that way, I guess we will go that way. I think there is a positive outcome that can be worked out here. I just hope we are wise enough to see that."
Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY"
The Instructor wrote:biggdowgg wrote:kantuckyII wrote:It is really crazy..the rock belongs to Kentucky, it should go back there and let this stuff die down...
if we deliver it to your house,,,will you crawl back under it?
I love it!
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orange-n-brown 365
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY" MOVED
oh lord I can see the Hatfields and the McCoys all over again
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The Instructor
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY" MOVED
The Indian Rock has history tracing back to early Portsmouth, Ohio.
It is a part of Southern Ohio history.
Kentucky didn't even care about it until it came out of the water.
So, it should stay in Portsmouth.
It is a part of Southern Ohio history.
Kentucky didn't even care about it until it came out of the water.
So, it should stay in Portsmouth.
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sportsfanatic85
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY" MOVED
Kentucky didn't seem that interested until Ohio got it out of the water.
I think it needs to stay in Ohio (Portsmouth).
I think it needs to stay in Ohio (Portsmouth).
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kantuckyII
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Re: This Should Be Interesting "ROCK RALLY" MOVED
Let our rock go! if not, we shall send over a plague of locust!