<< Our Photo Pages >> Nitschke Mounds State Park - Artificial Mound in United States in Great Lakes Midwest
Submitted by AKFisher on Friday, 09 August 2024 Page Views: 2985
Pre-ColumbianSite Name: Nitschke Mounds State Park Alternative Name: Nitschke MoundsCountry: United States
NOTE: This site is 63.778 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: Great Lakes Midwest Type: Artificial Mound
Nearest Town: Horicon, WI
Latitude: 43.473700N Longitude: 88.69562W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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stonetracker visited on 1st Jul 2024 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 4 The effigy mounds are in a county park just 200 yds north of the paved road. Ample parking in a dirt lot with a picnic shelter and interpretation kiosk.
Considering that the park is maintained mostly by volunteers, the condition of the site is surprisingly good. About 2/3rds of the mounds are at least somewhat visible and cleared of trees and shrubs. Native long grass has been left on the mounds to discourage walking over them. A short trail system weaves in and out among the mounds and is regularly maintained by mowing. The remaining 1/3 of the mounds still need to be cleared off and the trail system extended to include them. They are mostly in a wooded area at present. Interpretation and signage at each mound is sparse, so I assume this is a work in progress. There is a bit more information at the entrance kiosk.
Effigy mounds by their very nature tend to be low profile and hard to photograph. This is particularly the case at Nitschke where erosion has really taken its toll. So my photos and videos are limited to just a few of the biggest and most visible mounds.
The preserved mounds represent one of the best surviving examples of the Mound Builders culture that once occupied the Dodge County area. A natural and grassed surfaced trails wind around the mounds and through the park.
History of Nitschke Mounds Parks:
The park preserves an important pre-historic Native American archaeological site, referred to as the Nitschke Mound Group. Records of the first official investigation of the Nitschke Mound Group by archeologists dates back to 1892. Further exploration, mapping and documentation was done in 1927 by W.C. McKern, an archeologist with the Milwaukee Public Museum. At that time the group consisted of 62 identified mounds. It is believed that this mound group may have originally contained as many as 100 mounds. Forty-six of the identified mounds in the group were on what is now the park property. However, primarily due to cultivation it is believed that about ten of those mounds have since been destroyed. The effigy mounds were believed to have been constructed between 800 AD and 1200 AD by the Late Woodland Culture, otherwise known as the Effigy Mound Builders. Most of the existing mounds at Nitschke Mounds County Park have been cleared of brush and trees for preservation and better viewing. Using mostly volunteer help, clearing brush and downed trees from the mounds was started in 2003 and has continued. Interpretative signs in the park help provide some understanding and education about the mounds.
The Effigy Mound Builders:
The Effigy Mound Builders were located primarily in southern Wisconsin and adjacent areas of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. The Effigy Mound Builders adopted the use of the bow and arrow, stone tools and also grew corn. Pottery was also an important part of their culture. A garden bed was also identified on the property near the springs. A possible pre-historic encampment or village site is believed to have been associated with the garden beds, but no solid evidence has yet been discovered.
The Effigy Mound Building culture is distinguished most by the existence of numerous mounds. Many of these mounds were shaped to resemble birds and mammals. The Nitschke Mound group also contains linear and conical (round) shaped mounds.
The mounds were constructed for a variety of purposes. Many were constructed for burial purposes while others may have been built to represent religious spirits or the supernatural world. Some shapes may be linked to various clans, used as symbols, travel guides or resource markers. The truth is, no one really knows what the mounds shapes meant to those who made them.
The Mound Shapes:
Many mounds groups, such as the Nitschke Mounds, contain a variety of shapes with varying sizes, two exceeding 200 feet in length are found in the Nitschke group. It is believed that most effigy mounds fall into three classes corresponding to the three natural realms - air, earth and water. The cosmology of many Midwest Native American tribes consider these realms in terms of the upper world (air) and lower world (earth and water). Some of the prominent shapes in this particular grouping include turtles, panthers, canines, buffalo (bear), deer and birds. Long-tailed effigies, such as turtle and panther mounds are believed to be representations of powerful (lower world) water spirit-beings. Often times they are oriented toward a spring or water source. Turtle mound #1 appears oriented toward the springs southeast of the park on the south side of HWY E. Canines, buffalo (bear), deer and other legged animal effigies are associated with the (lower world) earth. Spirit beings and birds are classified in the upper world (air). The water spirit effigies tend to be more common in this part of the state, however, mound groups usually contain effigies from all spirited realms signifying an attempt to be in balance and harmony with the natural world. Source: Dodge County, WI (.gov)
Further reading and information:
http://www.co.dodge.wi.gov/departments/departments-e-m/land-resources-and-parks/parks-and-trails/nitschke-mounds-park
Directions:
From Horicon, WI via County Road E, 3.9 mi.
Note: Photos, plans and video commentaries on these mounds from Stonetracker on our page, see the comments section for the videos
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