Effigy Mounds National Monument America’s Best Idea: National Park Getaway
National Park Service News Release
Ken Block, Effigy Mounds National Monument, Kenneth_Block@nps.gov,
563-873-3491
Elise Cleva, NPS Headquarters, Elise_M_Cleva@nps.gov, 202-208-6843 October 21, 2009
Effigy Mounds National Monument
America’s Best Idea: National Park Getaway
HARPERS FERRY, Iowa – A hiker’s paradise replete with archeological wonders, Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeast Iowa brings together the highlights of parks like the Great Smoky Mountains and Chaco Culture—places with lots of acres or big reputations. Yet just as this “little big park” won’t disappoint, it also won’t overwhelm visitors who make it their destination for a getaway.
The hiking opportunities here range from relaxing strolls to seven-mile treks in a landscape that, like the park itself, seems to have selected elements from throughout the nation to compose a pleasing whole. Slender tree trunks silhouetted by early-morning light and foliage turned scarlet and gold by fall recall the woodlands of New England. Native tallgrass prairie offers a taste of the Great Plains. Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River serve as ambassadors of mountains from the Appalachians to the Sierra Nevadas. Riverbanks and wetlands add to the mix, with one example of these habitats—the marshes of the Yellow River—inviting all hikers to come and explore on ADA-compliant boardwalks.
While esteemed filmmaker Ken Burns has contended that the national parks are “cathedrals of nature,” conducive to worship of the divine, Effigy Mounds National Monument is indisputably a sacred place. In addition to the cliffs, forests, and waterways that some might say make the sublime present in this park, the monument preserves an American Indian burial ground dating back 2,500 years to the era of the Red Ochre Culture. The builders of effigy mounds lived 850 to 1,400 years ago. Mound shapes found within the monument include conical and compound mounds constructed for burials and long, cigar shaped “linear” mounds for ceremonial purposes. It is animal-shaped mounds, however, that give the Effigy Mounds Culture its name. Of the more than 200 earthworks in the park, 31 are effigies of bears and birds. These quasi-sculptures include Little Bear Mound and the Marching Bear Group (10 bears, three birds).
This coming Sunday marks the 60th anniversary of Effigy Mounds National Monument. To celebrate, the park hosts a nocturnal hike on Saturday evening, followed by “Sunday in the Park”—a day featuring ranger-guided hikes, cultural presentations, and exhibits. On October 25, 1949, President Harry Truman declared Effigy Mounds a national monument, tacitly proclaiming his belief in the significance of the site. This October 25, don’t just take his unspoken word for it. Make Effigy Mounds your destination for a getaway, and let the park’s natural and cultural treasures impress you.
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Each week, National Park Getaways help people find new places to reconnect with nature, history, family, and friends. To see previous getaways visit www.nps.gov/getaways.
