“It may come as a surprise to some people to learn that the Dells area was once in the center of what might be called a lost civilization.”  Ross M. Curry

About two years ago after rock climbing at Devils Lake, our guide pointed out a strange shape in the grass alongside the lake.  It was a great time to spot it as the sun was beginning to set and shadows began to detail the shape.  I was becoming more and more aware of the fact that there was a lot more to see and investigate in the area if only I had the time.

Devil’s Lake State Park, which is approximately 15 miles south of the Wisconsin Dells preserves a number of effigy mounds.  An effigy mound is an animal shaped mound built by people of the Late Woodland Period which lasted from 300 BC until 400 AD.  This 150-foot-long bird effigy[pictured above] is located on the southeastern shore of the lake. It is also possible that this mound form represents a “bird-man” combining characteristics of a bird and a human being. Devils Lake Indian Mounds Slideshow

Not far from Devils Lake State Park in Baraboo, probably built more than 1,000 years ago, is a huge mound in the form of a walking man who has horns or is wearing a horned headdress, such as a buffalo-horn headdress, which was characteristically worn by Native American shamans in more recent times. It is believed to represent a deity.  It was originally 214 feet long, but road construction in 1905 destroyed the feet and lower legs of the figure. The remainder of the mound was saved from damage by the Wisconsin Archeological Society and the Sauk County Historical Society, which purchased the mound in 1907. Man Mound Park Baraboo Slideshow

 After puchasing books by the Dells area historian, Ross M. Curry, I learned, according to his Indian historical book, that while mounds can be found throughout North America, Wisconsin claims the largest concentration with, at one time, there being 10,000 to 15,000 mounds in Wisconsin and about 1,000 in the Wisconsin Dells alone.  Curry writes, “It may come as a surprise to some people to learn that the Dells area was once in the center of what might be called a lost civilation.”  (p. 10, “Dells Area Indian History Volume III” by Ross Milo Curry, 1995: http://rosscurry.jvlnet.com/  )

 

It is important to note today, that, although the Ho-Chunk are taking responsibility for mound preservation, no legends or traditions concerning these mound builders survive even though many Wisconsin Native Americans still build simple mounds [picture below] on graves in Indian cemeteries. (p. 10,”Dells Area Indian History III”)

The mound builders where a copper culture group.  Their effigy mounds are found almost exclusively in Wisconsin, northern Illinois and eastern Iowa and Minnesota.  Although there is no proof of relation, this is also the same area that would be later claimed by the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk).  Sometimes they buried their dead in these mounds.  The artifacts found in these mounds had implements and skill not known to Indians of early historic times.  They were hunters, fishers and gatherers rather than farmers.  The mounds were believed to represent clans.  The mound builders dissappeared before the white men arrived.  Just north of the Dells on the east side of the Wisconsin River is the sheerest cliff face in Wisconsin, Roche-A-Cri Mound.  In Wisconsin the term “mound” means any isolated hill.  There you will find and overlook that spans 120 miles at its 300′ summit where you can view the many mesas of the area which were once partially submerged by Glacial Lake Wisconsin.     

You can also view ancient pictographs and petroglyphs at Roche-A-Cri Mound.  The rock art includes stylized birds, bird tracks, and other avian symbolism.  Although the images cannot be precisely dated, it is estimated that they are as old as 1,000 years.  Roch a Cri State Park

On the west side of the Wisconsin River about 20 miles north of the Dells, the New Lisbon area was once a winter gathering place for the Woodland Culture Indians.  A petroglyph of the thunderbird is pictured below in an area cave of New Lisbon.  New Lisbon: Twin Bluff 

As you drive south, back to the Dells, you may want to see the recently rediscovered panther spirit mound in Mauston.  The Panther Spirit Mound Project is funded, in part, by a grant from the History Channel’s Save Our History endowment.  It is a partnered effort between the Juneau County Historical Society and Olson Middle School with support from the Mississippi Valley Archaelogy Center, the Ho-Chunk Nation and the Wisconsin State Historical Society. http://pantherspiritmound.org/history.htm

Just south of downtown Dells on Highway 16 toward Portage you will find what is said to be one of the nation’s most unusual wayside parks, “Kingsley Bend.” Kingsley Bend Indian Mounds Slideshow  The Ho-Chunk Indian Nation plans to restore it as an interpretive educational site.

Indian mounds can be found throughout the area usually on high ground by rivers or lakes.  Some mounds are still being discovered not unlike the panther spirit mound in Mauston.  I recently drove by a church in Baraboo that had three mounds in the grassy areas in the parking lot. Baraboo 8th Ave. Church Indian Mounds   I’m having fun hiking around and taking pictures of them as I find the time to explore.  Mfairlady