Cranberry Creek Archeological District
National Register of Historic Places

Cranberry Creek Archeological District

Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Juneau County, Wisconsin
Listed
July 18, 1984
Type
District
Period
Pre Contact
Ref No.
84003689

About this property

Cranberry Creek Archeological District, also known as Cranberry Creek Mound Group, is an ancient American Indian burial mound site from circa AD 100–800 near New Miner, Wisconsin, United States. It is three miles east of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Juneau County. It is part of the "effigy mound culture" of native peoples in Wisconsin, who practiced the "respectful burial of their dead". Humans first inhabited Wisconsin about 12,000 years ago, and the use of burial mounds developed in between 500 BC to 1000 AD during what is referred to as the Woodland period. The burial mounds during the late Woodland period tended to be built as effigies of birds, bears, and panthers, and examples of these can be found in the Cranberry Creek Archeological District. As with other burial mounds on state property, the mounds in this region are protected against unauthorized disturbance. Many of the best examples of mounds in this area are on the east side of Cranberry Creek. In addition to effigies, conical, linear, and oval mounds are found. Although archeological studies have been conducted here since 1917, and farming has damaged parts of the northern cluster, the cluster in the southern section is essentially unaltered by modern man. Cranberry Creek Archeological District encompasses one of the larger mound groups in Wisconsin with over 300 mounds, and possibly up to 500 mounds. Cranberry Creek Mound Group is owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and covers 675 acres (273 ha). The area is heavily forested, containing river birch, silver maple, red maple, jack pine, and oak. It is a State Natural Area since 1986. In addition to the Cranberry Creek Archeological District, Juneau County has two other related National Register of Historic Places: Gee's Slough Mound Group (ref: 78000108), which is also from the Woodland culture, and Lemonweir Glyphs (ref: 93001173).

Location

Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Juneau County, Wisconsin

Categories

PREHISTORIC
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Questions about this property

When was Cranberry Creek Archeological District listed on the National Register?

Cranberry Creek Archeological District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Cranberry Creek Archeological District?

Cranberry Creek Archeological District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Cranberry Creek Archeological District?

The period of significance for Cranberry Creek Archeological District is recorded as the pre_contact era, specifically around 1000.

Can I research the history near Cranberry Creek Archeological District?

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