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Table of Contents
Effigy Mounds (Iowa)
Ancient builders shaped over 200 earthen mounds along the Mississippi River between 700 and 1300 CE. Thirty-one take the forms of bears, birds, and other animals. One of them, the mighty Great Bear Mound, stretches 137 feet from nose to tail.
These sacred sites represent one of North America’s most remarkable pre-Columbian achievements. Here’s the story of these mystical monuments you can explore today.
Wikimedia Commons/Billwhittaker
The Late Woodland Culture Builders
The culture that built Effigy Mounds thrived between 600 and 900 CE across the Upper Midwest. During this time, these Native Americans adopted two life-changing tools: the bow and arrow for better hunting and corn farming for steadier food…