Mention the name "Mile Rocks" and everyone around here has good stories to tell.

Seen from any angle, this impressive twin pile of silvery boulders looks like the bleached bones of some prehistoric behemoth that hunkered down and expired on a wind-blasted northern ridge overlooking the rolling blue mountains of the Hazleton plateau.

Lifetime city resident Lou Ferdinand recalls countless happy times at the rocks. "The most common were when we would hide there after we were chased from the Third Base by vice principal Mr. Tony Scarcella during our high school classes that were designated ‘no classes’ by order of Frank ‘Bumba’ Maddon, Manfred Moratto and myself."

A popular play area for kids over the decades, yet few can say what these rocks are, why they’re there, or how they came to be called the Mile Rocks.

Because there are no comparable rock formations in the vicinity, it’s unlikely that these are glacial deposits. More likely the Mile Rocks are subsurface igneous stone exposed by the triple whammy of wind, frost and water erosion over a long period of time.

Originally, they appeared smoother, standing out proudly in one piece. As the weather-beaten rock froze, split apart, and was washed or blown away, dense primeval forests camouflaged them until migrating Native American tribes following game became the first human beings to set eyes these boulders.

Later tribes no doubt used the mammoth outcroppings for council meetings, landmarks and religious services, like a natural Stonehenge.

The origin of the name Mile Rocks is dubious. Perhaps it’s because the view from atop these rocks allowed the first English-speaking settlers to see for miles in three directions. Or perhaps, compared to other smaller outcroppings, these rocks seemed big as a mile.

There’s only one other well-known place in America called The Mile Rocks. Located in San Francisco Bay, this treacherous rocky island has housed a lighthouse since the 1880s warning ship captains of the Mile Rocks, so named because they are exactly one mile south of the main shipping channel leading into San Francisco Bay.

Mile distance may be a clue to the christening of our Mile Rocks.

Early white settlers passing through the great Hazel Swamp (later our fair city) followed the old warrior paths between the Susquehanna River to the west and the Lehigh River to the east. The first locals heading north to the Wyoming Valley followed a dirt trail corresponding to today’s Wyoming Street, traversing the ridge where the Mile Rocks stand.

As late as the 1930s, most cross-town streets in Hazleton became dirt roads a short way north of Diamond Avenue. Former Hazleton resident Gene Cusatis recalls those days well. "I was born in 1928. From 11th to 22nd streets, the dirt (streets were) barely passable."

So what’s distance and dirt paths got to do with the name? According to early maps of our city, the Mile Rocks appear to be located roughly one mile north of the Hazel Swamp. A gigantic pile of boulders on a ridge would be a commanding "milestone" assuring travelers they were heading in the right direction.

Of course, this is merely conjecture on my part. Perhaps there’s a geologist or an historian at Penn State that can shed light on the naming of the famous landmark.

Meanwhile, mention the Mile Rocks and get ready for stories.

Carl DiSabella, now of Waterford, Conn., recalls the rocks from his youth. "The thing that sticks out in my memory is that I used to watch the older kids jump from the King Rock onto the Queen Rock. The gap seemed much wider then! A slip of the foot for a little guy almost seemed like it would result in instant death! Never attempted it until I was a little bigger.

Cusatis grew up at 16th and Church streets a few blocks from the Mile Rocks. "Often boys from the neighbourhood would go up to the rocks and romp around on them playing cowboys and Indians."

It wasn’t just boys that gravitated to these rocks. Girls played there, too. "I hung out there," says Elaine Vito now living in Florida. "I would always try to climb up; it was a challenge.

"I also would just look at them and recognize how beautiful they were with the different shapes. It always amazed me."

Clare Donahue Gawinowicz from near Philadelphia recalls the rocks from her youth. "They were always fun, but they seemed a little scary to me as a child. Later as a teen, they became a great hang-out."

Carmine Maddon Parlatore grew up next-door to the rocks. "It always felt they were an extension of my backyard! My parents never had to look far to find all the Maddon cousins along with all the neighborhood kids climbing the King and Queen Rocks.

"We were very serious about getting out of the house early in the morning and spending the day at Altmiller Playground and the Mile Rocks from sunup to sundown!"

Kids from all over town came to the rocks like the faithful making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Frankie Apichella and Kevin McMonigle used to walk from Lincoln Street. "We used to sit in a shady fissure about fifteen feet above the ground and talk.

"Once we went to the Grand Theatre to see a Haley Mills movie, then we hiked from downtown to the rocks and planned how one day one of us would marry her. I think we were about 13," Apichella recalls.

Many ex-Hazletonians make it a point to introduce these eye-catching boulders to their children, like a rite of passage.

According to DiSabella, "I remember taking my kids there when they were little to see if they felt the exhilaration of reaching the summit of what appeared to be massive stone towers in our neighbourhood. They did!"

Gawinowicz said much the same. "I took my son Kurt there when he was about two. There was more graffiti than I remembered, and more broken glass, but he loved climbing the ‘mile’- high rocks. It was a walk down Memory Lane. Or should I say a climb up Memory Lane?"

Finally, I heard from Lorraine Deeb Mariano now of Florida who took the photo of the Mile Rocks on this page. "I was in Hazleton right after Christmas, stayed with Louise McGown-Baran for 12 days. We had a ball, and I got to see some HHS friends that I haven’t seen since 1972! I’m looking forward to this summer’s class reunion (on August 11th); I hope many will be there!

"Hazleton was a great place to grow up. My heart will always be there. It’s filled with such beautiful memories…and I will always call it ‘home’!"

A Neolithic temple? A pile of rocks a mile high? A trail marker a mile away? Who knows?

But even if we can’t explain them, one thing’s sure. The mere mention of the iconic Mile Rocks is guaranteed to get happy memories rolling.

Former city resident Michael Apichella is a writer living in Europe. You may contact him at P.S. Michael is working on a story about the many former men’s and women’s clothing stores in downtown Hazleton. If you have any good stories to share, email him ASAP.