In the northeast corner of Iowa, near the confluence of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, lies a collection of more than 200 earthworks, built between 650 and 1200 AD or so by ancestors of Indigenous peoples still living in the state. Effigy Mounds National Monument in Allamakee and Clayton counties is unique among Midwestern mound sites: 31 of its mounds are built in the shape of birds and bears, the largest surviving collection of such mounds in the United States, according to the National Park Service.
These sacred animal representations were built as burial mounds; others were constructed for more obscure purposes, purported to hold ceremonial significance as well as potential markers of astronomical events or territorial boundaries. Most effigy mounds in America are concentrated in the lower Driftless region, mainly found along the Mississippi River from Wisconsin and southern Minnesota on down to Dubuque and far northwest Illinois.
Twenty Indigenous nations claim an ancestral connection to the mysterious builders of the Effigy Mounds, generally acknowledged by the NPS to be ancestors of the Ho-Chunk, among others. The site has certainly faced threats — a past superintendent was prosecuted for illegal removal of human bones and other artifacts, and construction of trails, observation platforms and other structures were done without consulting local tribes or following government guidelines. Efforts to exploit or alter the area over the decades have rightly been decried as desecration.
Current management seems to be diligent in its stewardship of the mounds and the righting of these wrongs, leading investigations into bone theft, vowing to remediate site damage and ensuring Indigenous members are included in its archaeological team. With luck, commitment and effort, the cultural treasure that is the Effigy Mounds will hopefully continue to inspire awe and reverence for its builders for years to come.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s December 2023 issue as a part of Peak Iowa, a collection of fascinating state stories, sites and people.
