History of the Effigy Mounds Park in Whitewater

The Potawatomi people, after being displaced from their native lands further east, most likely in the mid-17th century during the Beaver Wars, settled in the area now known as Indian Mounds Park and near the Whitewater River, now Whitewater Creek. The area was given this name because of the white clay and sands that collect at the bottom of the river.

In 1837, Samuel Prince built the first log cabin near what is today the site of Whitewater's Effigy Mounds Park.

The “Eagle Mound”, in the far left corner, was partially destroyed by farming when Native Americans cleared areas that were later used for agriculture by European settlers.

The Effigy Mounds Park (also known as The Indian Mounds Park or as the Maples Mounds Group) is located on the west side of Whitewater near Indian Mounds Parkway and Wildwood Road. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It is a prehistoric, Native American ceremonial and burial site that dates between 200 and 1000 A.D., and in its relatively small space of 1.5 acres has one of the most diverse and unique collections of animal and geometric mounds in the United States. Located on the eastern bank of an old river bed, and among the park's thick native oak trees, the Effigy Mounds once included a community area with 30 circular huts, inhabited by the mound builders. The 12 (possibly 13) effigy mounds at the site are what survive of this village today. The site continues to be used for Native American ceremonial pow-wows. Entrance into the Effigy Mounds Park is free and open to the public daily.

As of 2006, recent efforts in the park have now provided a glimpse of the past by removing non-native species and other underbrush to return the park to its original state, that of an oak savanna.

Recent plans for the west side of Whitewater, WI by the Whitewater Community Development Authority show a possible expansion of the park that would include an area north of the park and south of West Main Street. It would include woodlands, wetlands, and space for a playground, playfield and trail. This expansion plan also includes degraded mound remnants southwest of the current park, which would provide a buffer to the existing mounds in the park.

Mark Kuhnke is a local resident who has spent many hours learning about the mounds and working to preserve them. He, along with many other dedicated people, are forming "Friends of the Mounds" group and offer you the opportunity to join.

The Whitewater Indian Mounds Park is located on the south west area of Whitewater, Wisconsin near the intersection of Indian Mounds Parkway and Wildwood Street and is about one block south of West Main Street. For more information call Mariann at 262-473-4219.