The Geometric Earthwork In Iowa That Still Baffles Archaeologists To This Day
Raymond Goldfield
Author
The human history of the land occupied by what is now Iowa began long before it became a state, and many remnants of that history can still be found in Iowa’s countryside, sometimes in the form of earthwork. Earthwork in Iowa, which includes burial mound sites, offers a glimpse into some of the earliest inhabitants of this landscape. While the most well-known example of the rich Native American tradition of earthwork in the Hawkeye State can be seen at Effigy Mounds National Monument, you’ll also find evidence of these intriguing structures on a smaller scale near the town of Wapello and the confluence of the Iowa and Mississippi Rivers. Pay a visit to Toolesboro Mounds National Historic Landmark and State Preserve, step back in time, and discover why this is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites and mysterious places in Iowa.
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Have you explored this historic cluster of earthwork in Iowa and the national historic site that surrounds them? Let us know about your experience in the comments. To learn more, visit the Louisa County Conservation Board’s website – it’s the agency that manages the Toolesboro Mounds site. If you’re in the area during the summer months, you may find some of your own historic treasures at the Wapello Market Place.
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Earthwork In Iowa
What Are Some Other Mysterious Places In Iowa?
While some of the most mysterious places in Iowa are fascinating and historically important, like the Toolesboro Mounds National Historic Landmark and State Preserve or Effigy Mounds National Monument, other sites that leave folks baffled in Iowa are decidedly more sinister. One example of the former is Ice Cave in Decorah, Iowa. The temperature in this cave stays cool enough year round that you can often see ice crystals on its walls - even at the height of summer. Ice Cave has mystified folks ever since it was first discovered (although geologists can explain exactly why it works the way it does).
Among the creepier mysterious places in Iowa is Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, where you'll find the mystifying and eerie "Black Angel." Rumors have swirled around the monument for at least a century, and the legends keep getting passed on (and embellished) from one generation to the next. Other spots, like the Villisca Ax Murder House - which, as it sounds, was the site of brutal and gruesome mass murder - are mysterious only in that we are left wondering why humans do some of the things they do, and in the case of these killings, just who was it that did it. These are just a couple of the places that leave us baffled in Iowa.