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Standing Rock

Standing Rock is now covered by the waters of Lake Eufaula.  The historic landmark stood in the middle of the Canadian river about two miles below the junction of the North and South Canadians.  When the lake is at its top level 585 feet the top of the huge upright rock is approximately 25 feet below the surface.

It is more than a legend that Coronado and his Spanish explorers discovered the huge sandstone in 1535.  To validate their claim that the Spaniards were in the region and discovered Standing Rock historians point to symbols carved in the rock.  There is no argument about the symbols being the work of early explorers.  The carvings were about 30 feet above the base.  There were two, a turtle, and a triangle with a handle attached to
one of the points.

The height of the rock varies as to who you talk with.  Some claim it was 65 feet tall then there are others who claim it was only 40 feet.  The debate continues to wax around Eufaula's loafing spots.

For may years the river and area around Standing Rock was a favorite fishing spot.  Also thousands of picnickers, sightseers and campers roamed about the region.  However, most of the activity in the vicinity was treasure hunters.

Treasure hunting in the Standing Rock region probably dates back to the first white pioneers that settled in the region.  Through the years they blasted, drilled and dug the rock hillsides until the region resembles a gold mining claim.

The buried treasure legend dates back to the Spanish explorers.  According to old Indian stories, the Spanish buried large quantities of gold and silver in the vicinity.

The carved symbols on the big rock caused much of the excitement.  Many of the treasure hunters claimed they could read and decode the symbols.  There are also some others sign and symbols in the region.  One which drew a lot of attention was an arrowhead marker carved on a huge oak tree.  From what little I have studied and learned about Spanish treasure symbols the turtle would mean "disaster."  Which would tie in with the old Indian
tales that the Spanish became sick and couldn't carry their gold.  So they buried it near Standing Rock, marked the area so they could find it when they returned  However, they all were either killed or died from sickness as the story goes.

The old stories, legends and myths about standing Rock and its mysteries goes on.  But as of now the huge stone is sleeping under the waters of Lake Eufaula and unless we have a terrible drought, or the skiers knock the big pond dry, we will probably never see the huge hunk of sandstone again.


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