Petoskey stone

Petoskey stones are found in the Gravel Point Formation of the Traverse Group. They are fragments of a coral reef that was originally deposited during the Devonian period, approximately 350 million years ago. When dry, the stone resembles ordinary limestone but when wet or polished using lapidary techniques, it reveals the distinctive mottled pattern of the six-sided coral fossils. It is sometimes made into decorative objects, or even used as a gemstone. Other forms of fossilized coral are also found in the same location.

In 1965, it was named the state stone of Michigan.

Etymology

The stone was named for a chief of the Ottawa people, Pet-O-Sega, son of a French fur trader and Ottawan mother. The city of Petoskey, Michigan, is also named after him, and is the center of the area where the stones are found. The stones are commonly found on beaches and in sand dunes.

According to legend, Petosegay was a descendant of French nobleman and fur trader Antoine Carre and a daughter of an Ottawa tribal chief. Petosegay, meaning "rising sun", "rays of dawn" or "sunbeams of promise", was named by his father after the rays of sun that fell upon his newborn face. Building on his father's start and his place among the Ottawa, Petosegay became a wealthy fur trader who also acquired much land in the region, gaining acclaim for himself and his band. He was said to have a striking and appealing appearance, and spoke both French and English very well. He married another Ottawa, and together they had two daughters and eight sons. In the summer of 1873, a few years before the chief's death, settlers began to develop a village on his land along Little Traverse Bay. The settlers named it Petoskey, an anglicized form of Petosegay.