Here you will see a large, rounded piece of Shawangunk Conglomerate (sometimes called Shawangunk Grit) that a millstone cutter abandoned long ago. In some parts of the Shawangunks, ready access to more suitable exposures of the conglomerate bedrock made it possible to produce excellent, readily-saleable gristmill stones, an important source of income for Trapps families in the 19th century.

Even when cleared of trees, the relatively thin soil, with many rocks and boulders jutting up, provided only marginal pastureland able to support just a few farm animals. In order to maximize the amount of area for grass growth, most of the early farmers removed as many rocks as possible from the soil.

But where to put the rocks? Some were used to build the low stone boundary walls so characteristic of New York and New England. It was also common for farmers to simply collect any rocks that could be moved and pile them on top of an especially large (and immovable) boulder or a bedrock outcrop.