Ten Mile River Standing Stones
By Don Doucette
With Ten Mile River water levels at their predictable hot weather ebb, an unknown artist dared the riverbed rubble at Hunt’s Falls in Rumford, Rhode Island to hoist this possible example of a free-standing artistic expression in stone.
Balanced stone piles have been used for eons and for numbers of reasons by humanity.
Perhaps, used as religious effigies, or memorial markers, or property bound indicators as well as trail markers piled in succession known as cairns?
Birds now use this new-found local river stone pile as an elevated observation post as evidenced by an approximate two week accumulation of guano.
We often find random stone piles along shorelines, atop exposed sand bars or mountain tops…and this curious observer found photo examples of a thriving stone pile tradition associated with the Ottawa River in Canada.
We are left to guess about the motivation of our Ten Mile River Watershed stone pile fabricator. But, judging by the rock size and elevation from the riverbed source to the bedrock shelf, a good deal of brawn, imagination and skill were required to complete the balancing task.
And…our artistic display is most likely only temporary; enjoy and admire it while you may before seasonal high water events with forces much stronger than a tepid summer water flow, sweep these standing stones back to their Ten Mile River stone rubble home like tiny gold dust particles in a pan.
Don Doucette
“Ten Mile River Rambles”
Friends of the Ten Mile
Citizen of the Ten Mile River Watershed