Find a Petoskey Stone for Your Special Someone!

The “state stone” of Michigan is the Petoskey Stone that was officially designated in 1965.  It is not actually a stone but fossilized coral from prehistoric times. Over 350 million years ago, a shallow sea and coral colonies covered Michigan. A series of glaciers scraped and churned the land spreading the coral fossils along the Michigan shoreline. Today only these beautiful fossils remain.

The Petoskey Stone is very distinctive with its six-sided cross-sections of ancient coral. The alluring pattern looks like little suns. The pattern is best seen when it is wet or polished. In the 1800s these stones became popular souvenirs for tourists.  The stone was named after the Ottawa chief “Petosegay” which means “rays of dawn” or “sunbeams of promise.”

Some that have found Petoskey Stones think of them as love tokens and have kept them forever remembering exactly where they found their stone. Fall may be fast approaching but there is plenty of time to stroll the beaches of Oscoda to find your Petoskey Stone.