Overview
Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves over 200 prehistoric mounds, including 31 effigies shaped like bears and birds, constructed by Indigenous peoples of the upper Midwest between approximately 700 and 1200 CE. The monument protects one of the best-preserved concentrations of effigy mound earthworks in the United States.
Historical significance
The site represents the northernmost concentration of effigy mounds in North America, providing evidence for a distinctive mortuary and ceremonial tradition of the Late Woodland period. The Great Bear Mound, measuring 137 feet in length, is among the largest animal effigy mounds in the world.
Key discoveries
- The Great Bear Mound — 137 feet long, one of the largest animal effigy mounds known
- Marching Bear Group — 10 bear effigies and 3 bird effigies arranged in a processional alignment
- Evidence of Hopewell cultural influences from 300–400 CE in early mound construction
- Burial inclusions including copper ornaments, shell beads, and stone tools
- Astronomical alignments in mound placement corresponding to sunrise and sunset on solstices
About the site
Effigy Mounds National Monument, established in 1949, preserves one of the best-preserved and most diverse concentrations of prehistoric mounds in the upper Midwest. The monument contains over 200 mounds, of which 31 are effigies — mounds constructed in the shape of animals, most commonly bears and birds.
The mounds were constructed by peoples of the Effigy Mound culture, a Late Woodland tradition that flourished in the upper Mississippi Valley from approximately 700 to 1200 CE. Unlike the Hopewell culture that preceded it, the Effigy Mound culture did not produce elaborate grave goods or evidence of hierarchical social organization. The mounds functioned primarily as communal burial sites and ceremonial spaces.
The monument's most visited feature is the Marching Bear Group, a cluster of 10 bear effigies and three bird effigies arranged along a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The bears range from 80 to 137 feet in length and three to four feet in height. Astronomical research has suggested that some mound alignments correspond to celestial events, including solstice sunrises.
The monument is managed in consultation with 20 affiliated tribal nations, for whom the site holds continuing cultural and spiritual significance. Human remains excavated from the mounds in earlier decades have been repatriated under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Content for this page is derived from the Wikipedia article on Effigy Mounds and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Source: Wikipedia.
Everything a full the United States report reveals
Pick any location and Aubrey pulls together 18 strands of its history, each drawn from the record:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Related archaeological sites
Frequently asked about Effigy Mounds
Research a specific location
Aubrey Research surfaces documented history at the address, parcel, or coordinate level, including proximity to prehistoric and archaeological sites.