#roche-a-cri

[uwlmvac]

Rock art images enhanced using digital technology.

A Wisconsin Archaeological Society program at Roche-a-Cri State Park on August 2, 2025 provided the opportunity to explore a cell phone app, DStretch, that can enhance faint rock art. These images of several red figures on the rock art panel were captured using just a cell phone in the field. The images are barely visible in the original image, but show more clearly in the enhanced view. As these fragile images are threatened by erosion, sun fading, and other natural and man-made threats, new technology to identify and preserve the images is invaluable.

Besides a phone app, there is the DStretch computer program for "Rock Art Digital Enhancement...a plugin to ImageJ written by Jon Harman" [DStretch.com home page]. It can do much more than the phone app, and Wisconsin archaeologists have been using it to explore, document, and preserve images at many known pictograph sites and identify potential new imagery.

[shmegegan]

Just some summer adventures

[happytrailswithnick]

Roche-a-cri State Park, WI

[lifewiths]

On the way to La Crosse, we stopped at Roche-A-Cri State Park, French for crevice in the rock. The area looked extremely particular, since the region is completely flat, until this giant 300ft rock layer randomly juts out through the trees. IT'S HUGE. First, we walked around the base of it a bit and saw where Native Americans had carved symbols into the rock face. Then we proceeded to climb to the top. Which included 303 stairs. Dad and I took our time walking up the never-ending flights of stairs, whilst Andrew thought the best plan of attack was to take the monstrosity running two steps at a time. Needless to say, he basically had an asthma attack as Dad and I were enjoying the view from a landing at a break point. 

As you get to the top, trees mostly block your view of the surrounding area. Then you begin to walk out on to a wooden platform that breaks from the cover of the foliage. What a view!! At first, it feels like your walking the gang-plank into midair, but once you get over that, the view is amazing. You're so high up from all the other trees that they look like little broccoli. We stayed up there for a while, admiring what a strange natural feature we were standing on. Dad checked out all of the historical information on a few signs. I had a whistling competition with a small bird. And then it was time to head back down all those stairs.....