Before there were monuments and statues, primitive people used stacks of stones to mark places of geographical interest.  Later, the Romans used stone markers to denote distances, and these markers became known as "milestones". The word now most often refers to important events. Birth, graduation, weddings, and death are often considered the most important milestones in a person's life. In my region, sheepherders sometimes still use stacks of stones to mark points of interest to them. They are navigational tools that only the constructor can fully interpret. They may signify "good graze", "water down below", or "I killed a coyote here." Yesterday, as I was out walking, I came upon this little landmark.  A recent construction, I recognized it immediately. This is a marker my mother left a few years ago, to  measure the progress of her daily walks. Seeing it there seemed like a personal message to me. A little reminder that sometimes the most seemingly insignificant things can be the most enduring.

Milestone American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This mile·stone       (mīl'stōn')  Pronunciation Key  n.   A stone marker set up on a roadside to indicate the distance in miles from a given point. An important event, as in a person's career, the history of a nation, or the advancement of knowledge in a field; a turning point. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source Milestones were originally stone (granite or marble or whatever local stone was available) obelisks and later concrete posts. They were widely used by the Roman Empire roadbuilders, an important part of any Roman road network when the distance travelled per day was only a few miles in some cases. The first Roman milestones appeared on the Appian way. At the centre of Rome the "Golden Milestone" (actually bronze) was erected that marked the metaphorical centre of the empire. This milestone has since been lost. The Golden Milestone inspired the Zero Milestone in Washington, D.C., intended as the point from which all road distances in the United States should be reckoned.