A Mysterious Rock in Elmvale
By Al Taylor

Have you ever wondered about the big brown rock shaped like a giant top in Elmvale across from McDonald’s Restaurant? Where did it come from, what is it, and why is it there? When I first noticed the rock I always wanted to stop and find out all about it, and in the summer of 1981, I did.
The owner of the house, Gordon Mills, told me that in 1961 he first saw this sandstone rock at the roadside. It had been excavated from a sandpit 40 feet down near Cold Lake, Alberta during road construction. The next day he returned to see if he could acquire it but it had been buried under tons of backfill. However, after some tough financial negotiation ($5.00 US), the construction supervisor dug it up and delivered it to Gordon’s front yard in Alberta. No other rocks like it were found in the area.
The rock weighs exactly 2 standard tons, is 4 feet high and 10’ 6" in circumference at the widest point. Mr. Mill’s theory was that it was once a big boulder being whirled around in the pothole of a fast flowing river, then picked up by a glacier and dropped where it was found. Others have speculated that it might have been man made. It’s been called the "yo-yo rock”, "hamburger rock”, and the “voodoo stone”. Knowledgeable people and geologists have studied it and just shake their heads in wonderment.
Years later Gordon had the rock moved to Elmvale where it has been the subject of much speculation. For years, local children have played around it and have had their pictures taken in front of it.
Gordon’s daughter Lynn lives in the house now. She showed me a photo of the rock when it was once painted blue and white. It reminded me of a frosted treat at the CNE.
Her dad and mom are gone now and she took over the house because of the rock: "Someone had to look after it". Lynn still has people inquiring about it just as her dad had. He enjoyed re-telling the story, and so does she. And, of course, she’ll probably be hearing people’s ideas about the rock’s “real” origins for years to come.

Now, if you have a theory, send it to us at www.tinycottager.org or call 705-533-4261. We just may publish it in the next Tiny Cottager.