Effigy Mounds National Monument

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 Effigy Mounds National Monument


Southern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa were the two regions where effigy mounds - low hills in the shape of animals and birds - were built by native people. One place where these mounds have been preserved is Effigy Mounds National Monument, located along bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River in Iowa. The wooded park preserves over 200 mounds dating from c.500 BC to c.1100 AD. 31 of the mounds are in the shape of animals - effigy mounds.  Of the 31, bird and bear shapes are most numerous. Indigenous stories tell that the Bear is the guardian of the Earth, and the Bird is the guardian of the Sky. It is theorized that the people made these mounds  to connect to their Earth And Sky guardians. 


A walk in these bluffs is a journey into the customs and beliefs of an ancient people.

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