"Marching Bear Mounds in Summer" by NPS Photo , public domain
Effigy MoundsNational Monument - Iowa |
Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native Americans. Numerous effigy mounds are shaped like animals, including bears and birds. These were built mostly in the first millennium, by peoples of the Woodland Culture. As of 2017, they have been featured on the US quarter.
The monument is located primarily in Allamakee County, with a small part in Clayton County, Iowa, in the midwestern United States. The park's visitor center is located in Harpers Ferry, Iowa, just north of Marquette.
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Official Visitor Map of Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM) in Iowa. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
brochures
Official Brochure of Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM) in Iowa. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/efmo/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effigy_Mounds_National_Monument
Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native Americans. Numerous effigy mounds are shaped like animals, including bears and birds. These were built mostly in the first millennium, by peoples of the Woodland Culture. As of 2017, they have been featured on the US quarter.
The monument is located primarily in Allamakee County, with a small part in Clayton County, Iowa, in the midwestern United States. The park's visitor center is located in Harpers Ferry, Iowa, just north of Marquette.
The mounds preserved here are considered sacred by many Americans, especially the Monument's 20 culturally associated American Indian tribes. A visit offers opportunities to contemplate the meanings of the mounds and the people who built them. The 200 plus American Indian mounds are located in one of the most picturesque sections of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
Located 3 miles north of Marquette, Iowa on Hwy 76.
Visitor Center
The visitor center is open year-round except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day; during extreme weather conditions; and as indicated below. Because visitor center hours may vary by season, the specific opening and closing times during either the summer or the winter season follow.
Located 3 miles north of Marquette, Iowa on Highway 76.
Marching Bear in Spring
Bear Effigy Mounds with visitor walking nearby.
Marching Bear Mound Group in summer.
Scenic Overlook at Fire Point
Scenic view of the steep bluffs adjacent to the Mississippi River as trees start to change color.
Scenic overlook from the popular Fire Point Trail overlooking the Mississippi River and Driftless area bluffs.
Mounds on a Foggy Morning
Three conical mounds in a foggy morning setting.
Three Conical mounds along the Fire Point Trail during a foggy morning.
Conical Mounds Leading to Fire Point
Circular mounds in a single line.
Follow a line of conical mounds that will lead you out to Fire Point which overlooks the Mississippi River.
Bear Mound
View from the air of a mound covered in short green vegetation with forest behind.
A bear mound visible along the park's North Unit trail.
NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa
Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park.
view of river and hanging rock overlook
Bat Projects in Parks: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Learn about bats in Effigy Mounds National Monument and some fun facts!
A ranger uses acoustic equipment to locate bats in a forest
Effigy Mounds National Monument: Tribal Collaboration for Landscape Management
When the Cultural Landscape Report for Effigy Mounds National Monument was initiated in 2013, the process recognized the on-going significance of the landscape to existing Native American Tribes. Creation of this report, published in 2016, involved consultation with tribal partners to determine the best management practices for the landscape. This effort not only opened up a new chapter in planning for the park, but has also shaped an understanding of cultural association.
Grass grows taller on low earth mounds, in a cleared space between trees.
Wildland Fire in Tallgrass Prairie: Midwestern United States
Prairies depend on fire to maintain the ecosystem stability and diversity. One benefit of fire in this community is the elimination of invasive plants, thereby helping to shape and maintain the prairie.
Bison grazing in recently burned area.
Wildland Fire in Oak Woodlands and Savannas of the Midwestern United States
Oak woodlands depend on disturbances like fire to survive. Frequent fire created and maintained the open structure and make-up of the woodlands. Today, there are fewer oak woodlands across the central United States. Oak woodlands are converting into forests due to a lack of fire.
Oak trees with an understory of grasses and forbs.
The Bears of Effigy Mounds
In the midwestern United States, early Native Americans built earthen mounds known today as effigy mounds.
Marching Bear Group
Exploring the Fire and Archeology Interface
The Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) worked with Midwest Region Fire Program to design and carry out experiments to collect information about the effects of fire on various classes of archeological materials. The goals of this project were to assess the fire/archeology interface to provide managers of Midwestern parks with information that will aid in decision-making concerning the stewardship of archeological and natural resources.
Firefighters monitoring fire
Fish Communities at Effigy Mounds National Monument
Scientists have been monitoring fish populations in Dousman Creek since 2008. They collect fish using a backpack electrofishing unit. Monitoring fish allows scientists to determine which species are in the park and how well they are doing in the streams.
Dousman Creek at Effigy Mounds National Monument.
Volunteer Bird Monitoring at Effigy Mounds National Monument
Heartland Network staff and volunteers monitor birds within the park during the Spring-breeding season. Volunteers are key to the success of this monitoring effort as they are able to survey birds in years when the Heartland Network is not scheduled to do so. This allows Heartland staff to establish continuous records on bird population trends for the park.
Northern Cardinal
Bird Community Monitoring at Effigy Mounds National Monument
Unchanging diversity, richness, and even distribution of individuals across species values suggest habitat on the park has remained similar across years and provides for a rich array of bird species.
Bald Eagle at Effigy Mounds National Monument
Goat Prairie Monitoring at Effigy Mounds National Monument
Goat prairies are a unique kind of plant community found on the edges of bluffs where soils are shallow. Effigy Mounds National Monument has unique and diverse plant communities, including goat prairies, because of its geology, history, and location along the Mississippi River. The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors goat prairies at the park to understand how they are changing in order to preserve them.
Two people standing in low vegetation in an open area between trees at the edge of a bluff.
Celebrating soils across the National Park System
First in a series of three "In Focus" articles that share insights into the near-universal and far-reaching effects of soils on the ecology, management, and enjoyment of our national parks.
Fossil soils at Cabrillo National Monument reveal marine deposits
Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks
Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.
Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background
Things to Do in Iowa
Find things to do, trip ideas, and more in Iowa.
View of a wide river from the top of a bluff. Tree branches extend into the view from the left.
Series: Things to Do in the Midwest
There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation.
Steep bluff with pink sky above and yellow leaves below.
Aquatic Community Monitoring at Effigy Mounds National Monument
Monitoring data from 2008 to 2017 show that Dousman Creek at Effigy Mounds National Monument is in fair to good condition. However, the habitat and aquatic community is changing because of flood events and upstream water management practices. The creek is supporting more aquatic species that are tolerant of environmental changes in recent years. We use information about aquatic community composition to assess water quality and stream condition.
Three NPS scientists wearing waders and walking through a river with nets.
Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park Service
To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation.
A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera.
Bird Community Monitoring at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa, 2022
Effigy Mounds National Monument supports a diverse array of bird species. About two-thirds of the birds in the region are in decline. Birds are great indicators of environmental change and can serve as an early warning system. The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors birds at the park to understand how they are doing and how they respond to changes in their habitat. Overall the bird community on the park is faring better than in the region.
A still lake reflecting the sprinkling of autumn colors in the trees on the hills around the lake.
Effigy Mounds
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Monument
Iowa
Illustration NPS/Michael Hampshire
With what nature pro
vided, Effigy Mounds
people fashioned tools
and ornaments like
this bird-bone awl (far
left) and bear-tooth
pendant (left).
With basket loads of
fill material, Effigy
Mounds people in
northeastern Iowa
created a variety of
animal shapes three
to four feet high and
up to 212 feet long.
Bears and Birds Made of Earth
At first you see low rises on the landscape, but soon your eye picks out
regular patterns in the hills. Trace the
patterns, and those hills turn into familiar
shapes—animals rising out of the ground
in low relief. The effigies aren’t nature’s
work—American Indians created them
between 850 and 1,400 years ago. American Indians built mounds at various times
and places across the Americas, but only
in the upper Midwest did a culture regularly build mounds seemingly shaped like
birds, turtles, lizards, bison, and, most
commonly, bears.
Why were effigy mounds created? They
are best viewed from above, so who or
what was meant to see them? With no
written records and few surviving tribal
stories and traditions, the mounds’ origin
and meaning remain a mystery.
Effigy mounds have attracted the most
attention but are not the area’s oldest
mounds, nor were their builders the first
to live here. Humans have lived in eastern
Iowa for over 10,000 years. Dome-shaped
conical mounds began to be built about
2,500 years ago by people now known as
Woodland Indians.
By 1,400 years ago, in the Late Woodland
period, area Indians began to build effigy
mounds from just west of the Upper Mississippi River to Lake Michigan’s western
shore. Locally this hunter-gatherer
culture thrived on the rich resources
of Mississippi waters, wetlands, and
forests. From summer camps along the
river they fished and gathered freshwater mussels, arrowhead roots, wild rice,
acorns, fruits, and berries. White-tailed
deer and elk were staple foods in winter
when extended family groups lived in
rock shelters in the local river valleys.
European explorers began arriving in the
late 1600s. The fur trade among the
Indians, French, British, and later Americans continued into the mid-1800s. The
region saw a big influx of American
settlers starting in the 1840s. Land with
mounds was logged, plowed, and turned
into farmland. Many early 18th-century
views held that technologically advanced
cultures from the Middle East, China, or
Europe had built the mounds, but
Earthen effigy mounds began to apSmithsonian Institution research in the
pear 1,400 years ago, and were possibly
1880s showed that the moundbuilders
religious sites or clan symbols used in sea- were prehistoric American Indians.
sonal ceremonies. Some show evidence of
fire, probably ceremonial, in the mound’s Surveys of northeastern Iowa in the 1800s
head, heart, or flank. Some tribal stories
and early 1900s documented the preshold that the bear is the guardian of
ence of over 10,000 mounds of all types.
Earth and the bird the guardian of the
But within 100 years, fewer than 1,000
sky. Perhaps the mounds were a means
survived, and several people mounted
of connecting the people to the land and efforts to preserve some of the remaining
their spirit world and ancestors.
mounds. The Effigy Mounds National
Monument was established in 1949.
Around 850 years ago, the building of
Today, as you walk along the bluffs and
effigy mounds ceased. Archeological evi- around the mounds, be respectful of the
dence suggests a major cultural transition: ancient people whose relationship with
the people started to live in larger perma- nature inspired these creations.
nent villages, making new forms of pottery, and most significantly depending far The heart of the Effigy
more on agriculture than on hunting and Mounds world lay
in today’s southern
gathering. Archeologists call the prehisWisconsin and parts of
toric people who took up this new way
adjacent states. Most
of life the Oneota Culture. It is believed
surviving effigies lie
along waterways.
that they are the ancestors of historic
tribes in the effigy mounds region.
Tools and Trade
Stone was abraded to
make a celt or adze
(below) and a ham
merhead (right). Chert
was fashioned into
spear points and ar
rowheads (lower center and right). Clay
from riverbanks was
used for pottery like
this decorated shard
(far right). Exotic ma
terials came from
trade: the breastplate
(upper right) was
made from copper
mined on the Up
per Peninsula of
Michigan.
Artifact photographs NPS
NPS
A Guide to the Mounds
Effigy Mounds National Monument
holds 206 known prehistoric mounds,
31 in the form of animal effigies. Oth
ers are conical, linear, or compound
(left to right in the bird’s-eye diagrams
below). Little Bear effigy mound
(right) is near Fire Point.
Illustrations
NPS / Michael Hampshire
Conical
Conical mounds, round
domes of earth, are the
oldest and the most
numerous mounds in
this area, dat