Morton John Elrod (1863–1953) was an American biologist long associated with the University of Montana, where he served as the institution’s first Professor of Biology from 1897. A pioneering figure in Montana’s scientific study, he founded the Flathead Lake Biological Station in 1899.
On the western shore of Flathead Lake near the community of Rollins, a series of sandstone cliffs—known locally as the “Painted Rocks”—bear more than two hundred Native American pictographs. These markings, rendered in red and ochre pigments upon the rock faces overlooking the lake, represent one of Montana’s most significant collections of Indigenous rock art.
This slim pamphlet by Dr. Elrod offers an early descriptive account of the Painted Rocks site, summarizing its location, physical characteristics, and the appearance of the numerous pictographs. The text provides observations on their form and condition, alongside reflections on their possible origins and cultural significance, forming one of the earliest printed records of the Flathead Lake rock paintings.
