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<< Our Photo Pages >> Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds - Artificial Mound in United States in The South

Submitted by stonetracker on Saturday, 18 February 2023  Page Views: 415

Multi-periodSite Name: Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds
Country: United States Region: The South Type: Artificial Mound
Nearest Town: Gulf Shores AL
Latitude: 30.260810N  Longitude: 87.64865W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
3
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Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds
Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds submitted by stonetracker : Another shell mound. Source courtesy of Greg Little author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016). (Vote or comment on this photo)
Gulf State Park holds some of the most endangered archaeological deposits in the State of Alabama. Understanding the complex system of interconnected waterways, residential sites, and mounds is made that much more difficult by the centuries of storms and historic changes to the landscape.

The park has both sand and shell mounds that were built during the Middle Woodland period (circa AD 150) and Mississippian Stage (AD 1000 to 1500). Sand mounds are common along the Gulf Coast and served as both cultural markers for the living and memorials to the dead. The shell mounds located at the park are typically elongated midden (refuse pile) deposits bordering the water’s edge or circular mounds with intentional design. While some mounds include a mix of different shellfish types, a few show preference for only one type of shell, such as the Rangia cuneata, a brackish water clam common in the marshes of the Gulf Coast.

When we think of these people who hunt and gather their food, we often think of a simple lifestyle that included hunting, fishing, collecting seasonally available fruits and nuts, and limited agriculture. In reality, these people were engineering large communal buildings, digging canals, building mounds, trading over long distances, and practicing complex cultural activities that included intricate artwork and a highly structured social hierarchy with religious, political, and social leaders, warriors, and venerated elders. The people who built these things lived in a complex world of interacting cultures, languages, and beliefs much like we do today.

Location coordinates are for the Gulf State Park campground entrance. The location of the mounds, middens, and earthworks themselves is unclear and none is marked, plus they are widely dispersed. Some exploration is needed to find them.

For more info, see https://alabamamoundtrail.org/mound-site/gulf-state-park-mounds
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Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds
Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds submitted by AKFisher : Photo courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016). Hidden and unmarked shell mound (in the background) atGulf State Park in Alabama. There are many of these there along with a network of ancient canals wide enough to allow canoes to pass. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds
Gulf State Park Shell and Sand Mounds submitted by stonetracker : One of the shell mounds. Photo courtesy of Greg Little author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016). (Vote or comment on this photo)

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Nearby Images from Flickr
Sunhalo over Lake Shelby
Laughing Gull & Sandwich Tern
Laughing Gull & Sandwich Tern
Sandwich Terns
Loggerhead Shrike
Golden Waves. Gulf State Park, Alabama. 2024.

The above images may not be of the site on this page, but were taken nearby. They are loaded from Flickr so please click on them for image credits.


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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 11.1km NE 45° Bamahenge* Modern Stone Circle etc
 44.1km W 270° Dauphin Island Shell Mound Park* Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry
 54.2km NNW 333° Fuller Shell Mound Site* Artificial Mound
 60.0km NNW 334° Blakeley Indian Mounds* Artificial Mound
 87.8km NNW 342° Bottle Creek* Ancient Village or Settlement
 101.2km E 81° Fort Walton Mound* Artificial Mound
 131.9km N 358° Mauvilla Ancient Village or Settlement
 206.0km NW 323° Graveline Mound Site* Artificial Mound
 221.4km WSW 249° Bayou Grande Cheniere Mounds* Artificial Mound
 234.6km NNE 13° Old Cahawba Archaeological Park* Misc. Earthwork
 261.3km ESE 102° Pierce Site* Artificial Mound
 262.3km ENE 78° Chattahoochee Landing Mound Group* Artificial Mound
 282.2km NNE 28° Mound at Fort Toulouse - Fort Jackson Park* Artificial Mound
 292.4km ENE 62° Kolomoki Mounds Historic Park* Artificial Mound
 305.6km N 0° Moundville Archeological Park* Ancient Village or Settlement
 320.4km NNW 338° Nanih Waiya Mound* Artificial Mound
 321.0km E 84° Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park* Artificial Mound
 329.7km E 84° Velda Mound* Artificial Mound
 334.9km NW 317° Boyd Mounds* Barrow Cemetery
 339.5km W 274° Louisiana State University Campus Mounds Artificial Mound
 350.9km NW 315° Pocahontas Mound A* Artificial Mound
 351.9km E 84° Letchworth - Love Mounds Archaeological State Park* Artificial Mound
 353.3km NNE 23° Talladega Natl Forest Stone 1Ta719* Standing Stone (Menhir)
 355.4km N 11° Bessemer Mounds* Artificial Mound
 362.9km NNE 24° Horn Mountain Stone Standing Stone (Menhir)
View more nearby sites and additional images

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