COME AND INVESTIGATE! WISCONSIN’S EFFIGY MOUNDS
Welcome to United Country’s Midwest Lifestyle Guide featured attraction- Wisconsin’s Effigy Mounds. In this edition of United Country’s Midwest Lifestyle Guide featured attraction, we take you on a sacred journey to Wisconsin Native American Effigy Mounds.
Wisconsin’s Effigy Mounds, located throughout Wisconsin, have a large concentration of mounds in southwestern Wisconsin. Dane County has the highest concentration of Effigy Mounds in and around Madison, Wisconsin.
These living pieces of history tell a story of the Native American tribes who built them, how they were constructed and sometimes the purpose of their construction. In the past, due to a lack of knowledge and understanding, many Effigy Mounds have been destroyed. Today many Effigy Mounds are located on private land, state parks, and national parks. Unfortunately, before legislation, some of these Effigy Mounds were destroyed or partially destroyed to make room for buildings or roads.
WHAT ARE EFFIGY MOUNDS?
Effigy Mounds are generally burial sites for early Native Americans. Not all Effigy Mounds are for burial. Some Effigy Mounds were used to mark boundaries for ceremonial areas or retain water for seasonal purposes. There are very few Effigy Mounds that have human being shapes. Several Effigy Mounds are animal-shaped or have conical or linear shapes.
Some researchers suggest the type of Effigy Mound revealed social status and possible health status. Those buried in animal-shaped Effigy Mounds sometimes had the honor of being the only one buried inside whereas conical-shaped Effigy Mounds tended to have several buried occupants. Animal-shaped Effigy Mounds can be an individual animals or a totem of animals. Totems generally indicated a particular group of Indians- informing other tribes who ruled the area or what tribe lay buried in the mound.
WHO BUILT THE EFFIGY MOUNDS, AND HOW?
Effigy Mounds in Wisconsin were thought to be built by the Late Woodland People between A.D. 750 and 1200. These Woodland People used baskets full of dirt, rocks, and clay. Basket full after basket slowly built these sacred mounds.
UC MLG: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The best way to see and tour some of Wisconsin’s famous Effigy Mounds is by using this website http://www.clli.org/. Here you can get a list of Effigy Mounds to view either self-guided or by guided tour.
CLL offers a multi-level membership with a monetary contribution. Membership monies go towards continuing the Effigy Mound legacy with ongoing excavation and tours. You can obtain a map by contacting the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board office at 1-800-221-3792. Effigy Mounds Grand Tour brochure from the following locations:
Tower Hill State Park
Governor Nelson State Park
Wyalusing State Park
Dodgeville DNR Service Center
State Historical Society
UC MLG: TOP EFFIGY MOUND ATTRACTION PICKS
We also suggest you click here for an excellent list of Wisconsin Effigy Mounds found throughout Wisconsin. This beautiful resource lists each mound in a mound icon. Click the mound icon to see a summary list of Effigy Mounds.
Complete with pictures and brief history, this site instills a spirit of Native American pride in all of Wisconsin citizens.
United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties is honored to share its top Effigy Mound picks! Here they are:
Panther Mound of Mauston – Found in Juneau County, The Panther Mound, located on the shores of
the Lemonweir River, is the only remaining mound from a larger series of mounds.
Effigy Mounds on private property, located in Columbia County, are found at COLUMBIA
COUNTY, Swan Lake Mounds, located at Saddle Ridge Community east of Portage.
New Lisbon Indian Mounds Park (Gee’s Slough Group) – Also located in Juneau County, the New
Lisbon Indian Mounds are well-preserved on the shores of the Lemonweir River. You can find these
mounds on Indian Mound Road off HWYs12/16 just south of New Lisbon. The mounds are three
conical, two linear mounds, and one dumbbell. Though seven other related mounds were destroyed,
these mounds remain.
You can check out some informative YouTube videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Qa5kuevec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwvZ6zQiyYo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDn_frvo_i0
Resources:
https://www.wiscontext.org/wisconsins-remaining-effigy-mounds-are-tip-historical-iceberg
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS383
http://www.wisconsinmounds.com/
Wisconsin’s Effigy Mounds, located throughout Wisconsin, have a large concentration of mounds in southwestern Wisconsin. Dane County has the highest concentration of Effigy Mounds in and around Madison, Wisconsin.
These living pieces of history tell a story of the Native American tribes who built them, how they were constructed and sometimes the purpose of their construction. In the past, due to a lack of knowledge and understanding, many Effigy Mounds have been destroyed. Today many Effigy Mounds are located on private land, state parks, and national parks. Unfortunately, before legislation, some of these Effigy Mounds were destroyed or partially destroyed to make room for buildings or roads.
WHAT ARE EFFIGY MOUNDS?
Effigy Mounds are generally burial sites for early Native Americans. Not all Effigy Mounds are for burial. Some Effigy Mounds were used to mark boundaries for ceremonial areas or retain water for seasonal purposes. There are very few Effigy Mounds that have human being shapes. Several Effigy Mounds are animal-shaped or have conical or linear shapes.
Some researchers suggest the type of Effigy Mound revealed social status and possible health status. Those buried in animal-shaped Effigy Mounds sometimes had the honor of being the only one buried inside whereas conical-shaped Effigy Mounds tended to have several buried occupants. Animal-shaped Effigy Mounds can be an individual animals or a totem of animals. Totems generally indicated a particular group of Indians- informing other tribes who ruled the area or what tribe lay buried in the mound.
WHO BUILT THE EFFIGY MOUNDS, AND HOW?
Effigy Mounds in Wisconsin were thought to be built by the Late Woodland People between A.D. 750 and 1200. These Woodland People used baskets full of dirt, rocks, and clay. Basket full after basket slowly built these sacred mounds.
UC MLG: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The best way to see and tour some of Wisconsin’s famous Effigy Mounds is by using this website http://www.clli.org/. Here you can get a list of Effigy Mounds to view either self-guided or by guided tour.
CLL offers a multi-level membership with a monetary contribution. Membership monies go towards continuing the Effigy Mound legacy with ongoing excavation and tours. You can obtain a map by contacting the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board office at 1-800-221-3792. Effigy Mounds Grand Tour brochure from the following locations:
Tower Hill State Park
Governor Nelson State Park
Wyalusing State Park
Dodgeville DNR Service Center
State Historical Society
UC MLG: TOP EFFIGY MOUND ATTRACTION PICKS
We also suggest you click here for an excellent list of Wisconsin Effigy Mounds found throughout Wisconsin. This beautiful resource lists each mound in a mound icon. Click the mound icon to see a summary list of Effigy Mounds.
Complete with pictures and brief history, this site instills a spirit of Native American pride in all of Wisconsin citizens.
United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties is honored to share its top Effigy Mound picks! Here they are:
Panther Mound of Mauston – Found in Juneau County, The Panther Mound, located on the shores of
the Lemonweir River, is the only remaining mound from a larger series of mounds.
Effigy Mounds on private property, located in Columbia County, are found at COLUMBIA
COUNTY, Swan Lake Mounds, located at Saddle Ridge Community east of Portage.
New Lisbon Indian Mounds Park (Gee’s Slough Group) – Also located in Juneau County, the New
Lisbon Indian Mounds are well-preserved on the shores of the Lemonweir River. You can find these
mounds on Indian Mound Road off HWYs12/16 just south of New Lisbon. The mounds are three
conical, two linear mounds, and one dumbbell. Though seven other related mounds were destroyed,
these mounds remain.
You can check out some informative YouTube videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Qa5kuevec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwvZ6zQiyYo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDn_frvo_i0
Resources:
https://www.wiscontext.org/wisconsins-remaining-effigy-mounds-are-tip-historical-iceberg
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS383
http://www.wisconsinmounds.com/