National Historic Site of Canada

Peterborough Petroglyphs National Historic Site of Canada

Woodview, Ontario

Also known as Peterborough Petroglyphs, Pétroglyphes de Peterborough

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Peterborough Petroglyphs National Historic Site of Canada

Not from the Register. Photo: D. Gordon E. Robertson, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Recognized
1981
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Located in Petroglyphs Provincial Park, Peterborough Petroglyphs National Historic Site of Canada is a broad shelf of exposed marble located in a woodland setting in Peterborough, Ontario. Inscribed across the marble are hundreds of realistic human and animal forms, as well as numerous abstract and symbolic images, which were carved between 900-1400 C.E. The official recognition refers to the Historic Zone of the Provincial Park.

Heritage value

Peterborough Petroglyphs were designated a national historic site of Canada in 1981. This site is designated because:

  • it is one of the largest known concentrations of pre-contact rock carvings in Canada.

Situated on an outcrop of white marble on the Canadian Shield, the Peterborough Petroglyphs site is one of the largest known concentrations of pre-contact rock carvings in Canada. Several hundred images comprising a wide variety of realistic animal and human forms, as well as abstract and symbolic representations, give evidence of the spiritual and intellectual life of the Algonkian Indians who carved them between 900 - 1400 C.E. This site is a sacred place and a monument to their artistic ability and sensitivity.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, October 2005.

Character‑defining elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

  • the expanse of exposed rock in its current location in its naturalistic setting of woodland and water;
  • the wide variety of realistic animal and human forms, as well as abstract and symbolic imagery.

End of the register’s text

Location

2249 Northeys Bay Road, Woodview, Ontario, KOL, Canada

44.62485° N, 78.04831° W

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Being on the register doesn’t make a place open to visitors. Many are private homes or businesses; please view them from the street.

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.