For years, islanders have heard stories about a stone anchor and stone circles on Turtleback Mountain, but very few have actually seen them. Archeologist Gary Wessen is someone who has.

He will be speaking Sunday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Orcas Senior Center on “The Stone Anchor and Other Rock Features on Turtleback.”

His archeological study in 2007 investigated and identified such varied rock features as anchors, circles, cairns, and a large boulder with the word “hull” on it. He will describe these features, address what is known about their histories, and give his thoughts and ideas suggested by others as to their possible significances.

Wessen has a doctorate in anthropology from Washington State University. The majority of his fieldwork and research activities have addressed coastal forest settings in western Washington – Puget Sound Basin and Olympic Peninsula. In 1985 he conducted a county-wide inventory of the recorded archeological sites of San Juan County.

This event is sponsored by the Orcas Island Historical Museum. Admission by donation.