Member Stories

Humans have been fascinated by geology. Over the centuries select rocks have become famous because of that interest. Rocks such as Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the Australian Outback; Blarney Stone in Blarney Castle near Cork, Ireland; and Plymouth Rock housed at Pilgrim Memorial State Park in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

One almost forgotten rock is the Wenner Family Pet Rock, the inspiration behind Gary Dahl’s Pet Rock fad in 1975.  The Wenner Rock was owned by Eugene and Barbara (Jacoby) Wenner and their children.

Mr. Wenner and his six children – eldest, Debbie; Dennis; John; Julie; Eugene; and youngest daughter, Barbara are descendants of Mayflower Pilgrims – Francis Cooke, John Cooke, Richard Warren, and Peter Browne who sailed on the ship “Mayflower” and stepped unto the Plymouth Rock in 1620.

The Wenner children used their backyard family rock for jumping into the pool and playing games. In September 1970, Eugene and Barbara (Jacoby) Wenner transported their children’s two-and-a-half-ton pet rock in the back of an Allied moving van with the rest of the family belongings. Mr. Wenner, an employee for US Air Airlines, was being transferred from Portage, Michigan to Swanton, Ohio.

Busy making arrangements on the phone, Mrs. Wenner asked the children to show the moving company of the items in the backyard to be included in the move. The children included their pet rock.

Moving a large pet rock created a national sensation.  The Wenner Rock and the six children were featured in every newspaper around the world. Including the Stars and Stripes in Viet Nam.In 1973, the Wenner Rock was removed from Swanton, Ohio, and is currently located near the lake shore in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Arrangements are in process to move the Wenner Rock from Prior Lake to Arizona in 2026.

Debbie Wenner and Larry Frost were married in Prior Lake in 1978. Mrs. Frost is currently the Deputy Governor for the Mayflower Descendants in the State of Georgia.