Mystery of the Missing 5-Foot Pudding Stone

A 5-foot tall pudding stone was taken from public land which upset some hunters. the Michigan Department of Natural Resources stepped in to try and solve the mystery.

What is a Pudding Stone?

Pudding stones can be found all over Michigan. You can find them on land, in the Great Lakes, and just about anywhere you find loose stones.

Pudding stones vary in size, and a quality rock polisher can bring out their true beauty

A pudding stone is a vibrant conglomerate sedimentary rock made up of large, rounded pebbles, like red jasper, chert, or quartz, embedded within its matrix.

You can make a little money with the right pudding stone. They often rand around $3 per pound, but those with exceptional colors can sell for thousands. Many hand-sized stones sell for $30 to $45, but the larger more decorative pieces can fetch $500 to $1,500 or more.

Read More: Do You Know the Record for Michigan's Largest Petoskey Stones?

Can you imagine how much a pudding boulder would be worth?

The Curious Case of the Missing Pudding Stone

Some hunters were upset when a 5‑foot pudding stone was taken from public land. Each season, the group would traditionally take an annual photo in front of this giant rock.

According to MLive, a complaint was filed with The Michigan Department of Natural Resources after the pudding stone was removed from public land. One member of the group who filed the complaint spotted the missing rock at a nearby residence. When the DNR visited, the man at the residence claimed he didn’t realize it was illegal to take large rocks from public land.

The DNR has since confiscated the pudding stone (boulder) and is now on display at the DNR's Evart Field Office since it would have been too difficult to try and return the stone to its original location on the public land.

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A person is not allowed to collect more than 25 pounds of rocks per year in the state of Michigan.

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