Day 17 & 18, Wednesday, August 1, 2018 – Thursday, August 2, 2018
After lunch and my tasting at Four Daughters Winery, I made it into Iowa – my 7th state and my 2nd new state! I traveled to Effigy Mounds National Monument, to check out the mounds there.
I’m in Iowa!
Effigy Mounds is located in Harper’s Ferry, Iowa, and preserves more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native Americans of the Woodland culture in the first century AD. The mounds are relatively unique, in that they are shaped like animals. Thirty-one of Effigy Mounds’ 206 mounds are effigies (animals); the largest is Great Bear Mound, which is 42 meters long and a meter tall. The National Monument was designated on October 25, 1949, and welcomes approximately 77,000 visitors per year.
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Researchers don’t know why the mounds were constructed; they believe that they were built for religious ceremonies, burial ceremonies, or as clan symbols. There are four types of mounds at the site; conical mounds that were often used as burial mounds, linear mounds (also known as “cigar-shaped”) for ceremonial purposes, a compound style which looks like a string of beads and were often used as burial mounds, and the effigy mounds, the animal shapes that make the monument famous. Interestingly, the linear and compound mounds are only found in the Effigy Mounds Region.
I arrived in time to check out the Visitor’s Center and do a hike up to some of the mounds. It was muggy that day and it was a nice workout! I enjoyed being able to see the mounds up close, although I do wish that they had more platforms so visitors could view the mounds from up above. When you are barely above the level of the mound, it is difficult to see what the mound looks like from above it. The trail I hiked did have a great view of the Mississippi River though!
After my visit to Effigy Mounds, I found my home for the evening; the Sleepy Hollow Campground in Oxford, Iowa. It was right off the freeway, but somehow the road noise didn’t carry so far.
This place had a lovely pool! I ended up staying two nights, just so I would have a chance to spend a few hours in and around that wonderful pool. It was glorious. Some days, you just need some pool time. I drank some sangria, read my book, journaled and was offered a job cleaning the Iowa rest area bathrooms (I know this will surprise you, but I turned it down). It was a wonderful day of down time!
Wine and History Visited 