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Effigy Mounds National Monument – Harpers Ferry, Iowa
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Effigy Mounds National Monument – Harpers Ferry, Iowa
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Video of Effigy Mounds National Monument – Harpers Ferry, Iowa
This Monument, near Marquette, Iowa and across the Mississippi River from Prairie du Chen, Wisconsin, has some of the best preserved effigy mounds in the Midwest. There are over 200 mounds in this 2,500 acre Monument. 31 mounds are in the shapes of birds or bears. The largest, the Great Bear, is 137 feet long. President Harry Truman designated the area a Monument in 1949. Research has revealed evidence that the mound-building cultures existed here for at least 1,800 years. The mound building cultures of the upper Midwest built their mounds sometime between 800 b.c. And a.d. 1200. The effigy mounds were built in the latter half of that time period. Music copyright 2007 by Maury Smith. Slide show by John Wanserski.
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Indian Mounds of Wisconsin by R. A. Birmingham and L. E. Eisenberg
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Topographic Map of Effigy Mounds National Monument – Harpers Ferry, Iowa
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Owachomu Bridge – Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
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Video of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
Natural Bridges, 6,500 feet above sea level on Cedar Mesa, is home to three spectacular sandstone landforms. The three massive bridges where formed from sandstone that was once the shore of an ancient sea. Sipapu (In Hopi methology, a gateway through which souls may pass to the spirit world), is the second largest natural bridge in the world. Kachina (named for the dancers that play a central role in Hopi religious tradition), is the youngest of the three. A rock fall in 1992 dropped over 4,000 tons of rock to the valley floor. Owachomo (rock mound in Hopi), is named after the rock formation on top of the southeast end of the bridge. The “Bear’s Ears” buttes are seen on the horizon. Horsecollar Ruin is a well preserved ancestral Puebloan site that is more that 700 years old. There is a campground available with 13 sites. An 8.6 mile loop trail will take you to all three bridges. Shorter trails lead to each bridge from the scenic drive.
