Archeologists believe the site has been in use for over 3000 years with Minnesota pipestone having been found in ancient North American burial mounds across a large geographic area.

In 1851 the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of the Dakota signed the Traverse des Sioux treaty ceding southwest Minnesota to the U.S. government including the quarry.

[3] Any enrolled member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe may apply for a free quarry permit to dig for the pipestone.

[14][15] The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian has an extensive collection of 705 catlinite objects that it attributes to the Pipestone quarry, 585 of which are pipes.

[16][17] Visitors can walk along a three-quarter mile (1.2 km) self-guided trail to view the pipestone quarries and a waterfall.

Monument staff burn prairie parcels on a rotating basis to control weeds and stimulate growth of native grasses.

[18] A larger area of restored tallgrass prairie and a small bison herd are maintained by the Minnesota DNR at Blue Mounds State Park, 20 miles (32 km) to the south.

The visitor center features exhibits about the natural and cultural history of the site, including a display of the petroglyphs found around the quarry.