Site · United States
Effigy Mounds
Woodland (Eastern), 500–1200 CE
Effigy Mounds preserves over two hundred mounds, including thirty-one bear and bird effigies, on the bluffs of the Mississippi in northeastern Iowa, built by Late Woodland peoples between about 500 and 1200. The Marching Bears group is the best known.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State / province | Iowa |
| Dates | 500–1200 CE |
| Status | National Monument |
| Managed by | National Park Service |
| Access | Open to the public with trails past the bear and bird effigies |
| Coordinates | 43.089, -91.187 (public site) |
What was found
Excavations recovered Late Woodland Madison ware pottery, small triangular points, and burials with few grave goods; the mounds are the principal finds. Human remains removed in the past have been repatriated.
Rules
Nothing may be collected, dug, moved or removed at Effigy Mounds; it is a protected archaeological site managed by National Park Service, and taking artifacts, stones or samples is an offence. Federal, state and tribal law, including ARPA and NAGPRA where applicable, protect the site and its burials. The monument is culturally affiliated with twenty tribes. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Effigy Mounds" (Site). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/sites/effigy-mounds. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-effigy-mounds,
title = {Effigy Mounds},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/sites/effigy-mounds}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.