GREENLEAF TWP. – Vandals have defaced the centuries-old Sanilac Petroglyphs, according to a news release from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan History Center, which interprets the petroglyphs for the public, said the petroglyphs were created by people who lived in what is now Michigan centuries ago.
According to the release, someone broke in at the Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park, which is in Greenleaf Township in Sanilac County, and carved three images. Officials for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan said it came as a big shock to them. They are working with the state to find ways to secure the petroglyph site.
The petroglyphs are carved into a 40-by-20-foot piece of sandstone near the Cass River. They were uncovered when the Great Thumb Fire of 1881 burned away the vegetation.
The DNR and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan ask anyone with information about the incident to call the DNR at (800) 292-7800.
