Students from Bottineau Public Schools’ Rockhounds club listen to testimony on a bill to make Knife River Flint North Dakota’s state rock during a meeting of the House Political Subdivisions Committee. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)
(Mary Steurer – North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota could be getting its first-ever state rock: a cola-colored stone called Knife River Flint.
The idea came from a group of young geology enthusiasts from Bottineau Public Schools, who discovered last year that North Dakota is one of two states lacking an official rock.
Members of the so-called Bottineau Rockhounds club traveled to the Capitol last week to tell lawmakers why they should approve House Bill 1186 and give Knife River Flint that title.
The rock is only found in North Dakota, for one. Because it’s easy to shape, it has been mined by Native cultures for thousands of years.
“Knife River Flint is a smooth, durable rock that is made of very small crystals which makes it easy to chip in various forms and turn into useful tools,” fifth grader Grace Motl told members of the House Political Subdivisions Committee last week.
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