Something strange is going on in the 23,000 acre Yellowwood State Forest in Indiana. At least 5 large rocks are sitting in the tops of tall trees, wedged in the branches. The first one was discovered a few years ago, 30 feet off the ground in an 80-foot-tall chestnut oak tree and has been named Gobbler’s Rock, because it was found by a turkey hunter. The triangular rock is about 4 feet wide and a foot thick and weighs around 400 pounds. How did it get up there?
About five miles away from Gobbler’s Rock, more sandstone boulders are wedged in the upper branches of two tall sycamores that stand 100 yards apart. One boulder is nearly 45 feet off the ground, and the rocks weigh about 200 pounds each.
Hiker Carol Carr says she’s seen two more in two sycamores in another part of the forest. “We just wanted to go down and see the creek. All of a sudden, there’s two more (boulders in trees) by the creek,” she says.
There’s no sign of heavy equipment having been used to hoist the rocks up into the trees, and the trees aren’t damaged in any way. Some people think a boulder could have been placed in the tree years ago, and then rose up as the tree grew. But the trunks of young trees wouldn’t be strong enough to support a rock of that size.
“If the rock was blown into the tree, why isn’t there some sign of damage to the bark? It had to be gently rested in the branches, I would think, but by what?” an investigator says.
Brown County Sheriff Buck Stogsdill remembers when Gobbler’s Rock was first discovered. “There really wasn’t much to do,” he says. “Just look at it and try to figure it out.”
Our science reporter Linda Howe has investigated mutilated cows left high up in trees?and hundreds of other mysterious phenomena as well.
To see a photo of Gobbler’s Rock,click here.
NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.
Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.