Archaeoastronomy of the Big Horn Medicine Wheel

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This public lecture explores the archaeoastronomy of the Big Horn Medicine Wheel and its ability to continue an astronomical dialogue with us today. It rests high in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains, nearly 10,000 ft above sea level. This wheel, located just south of the Montana border in Wyoming, is one of four large rock wheels still existing in the northern plains that show astronomical potential. It is a National Historic Landmark and Sacred Site, made up of a large circle of white stones with radiating “spokes” aligned with specific celestial phenomena.

Forty years ago, recognition of this American “Stonehenge” caused a world-wide stir in the popular media. In 2012, evidence suggests this wheel continues to track and predict astronomical changes through time. The wheel's cairns were once large enough to create windbreaks, enclosing and protecting skywatchers from the bitter winds of Medicine Mountain.

People today continue to travel far (and high) to experience this site. Their visits occur mostly during the day. Unknown to all but a few, the wheel is asleep by day. To experience its waking presence, one must allow the wheel to escort them through its travels among the cosmos by night. This talk will investigate whether this skywatching “observatory” continues to speak to us, 5000 years beyond the origin of this rock design in North America.