Effigy Mounds of the Upper Midwest

When: September 25-29, 2010
Where: Wisconsin
How Much: $899 ($200 single supplement)

In what is now Wisconsin, prehistoric Native Americans constructed about 20,000 earthen mounds, more than in any other area of comparable size.  We’ll visit the best surviving examples of these fascinating constructions, with an emphasis on sites of the Effigy Mound Culture, the characteristic moundbuilder culture of the Upper Midwest which created mounds in the shapes of mammals, birds, and reptiles.

Saturday, September 25
Join us in Milwaukee for a welcoming reception and talk by an expert in the region’s archaeology, introducing us to the archaeology of the Upper Midwest.

Sunday, September 26
We’ll begin our journey by heading northwest of Milwaukee to visit Lizard Mounds Park, a particularly well-preserved complex of effigy mounds.  From there, we’ll journey westward to the Wisconsin Dells area.  We’ll have a picnic lunch at the Kingsley Bend Mound Group, a group of mostly conical and linear burial mounds.  In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Hubert Creek Garden Beds, a rare surviving example of a prehistoric agricultural field.  We’ll spend the night near Wisconsin Dells.

Monday, September 27
In the morning we’ll visit the Man Mound, a rare anthropomorphic effigy mound.  Later we’ll drive to Marquette, Iowa to visit Effigy Mounds National Monument with its complexes of monumental effigy mounds and breathtaking view of the Mississippi and Wisconsin River confluence.  We’ll spend the night in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

Tuesday, September 28
We’ll head eastward to Lake Mills and Aztalan State Park, a Mississippian period mound and village center and Wisconsin’s most famous archaeological site.  We’ll return to Milwaukee for the night and a farewell reception.

Wednesday, September 29
Participants depart for home.

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