Archaeology Magazine - July/August 1982 - 62

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These conditions were typical of all
Iowa effigy mound groups in 1973. The
inventory study pointed out that if
cultural resource management procedures were not implemented, the only
effigy mound groups that would remain
in another 20 years would be those presently protected by the federal and state
governments. Project archaeologists
initiated a public awareness program to
prevent continuing destruction, centering on obtaining accurate aerial photographs and plans of the last remaining
effigy mound groups. These, along with
the inventory data, would then be presented to various federal and state
agencies, legislators, public organizations, and landowners in an effort to
promote preservation policies. For the
next eight years, field crews worked
each spring and fall. Major aerial photography coverage began in 1974 in the
South Unit of Effigy Mounds National
Monument. Using techniques developed
in 1971;an 11-membercrew outlined the
mounds of the well-known Marching
Bear Mound Group with 16-inch bands
of biodegradable agricultural lime.
The success of this project stimulated
others. In 1978, mound groups in the
monument's North and South Units were
limed and photographed. In a single day,
a 28-member crew comprised of Luther
College students, local residents and
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ARCHAEOLOGY

monument personnel distributed 10,000
pounds of lime around 91 mounds. The
photographs became part of the permanent field record and later were incorporated into a film now shown daily at
the Visitors Center.
The largest liming and photography
project occurred in 1980at the Sny Magill
Mound Group. The dense floodplain
vegetation of this undeveloped area in
Effigy Mounds National Monument presented a major logistical challenge. Preparation of the mounds for liming required
over six weekends of labor. Five tons of
lime were delivered by boat to a central
delivery point, and were then transported to the terraces by hand. The
mounds were limed by Luther College
students, monument personnel, local residents, and two troops of Boy Scouts
and Girl Scouts. The resulting photographs were used immediately by professional archaeologists, who presented
papers on the mound group before local
organizations and at professional conventions, while the National Park Service
used them to augment a new monument
management plan.
By 1981, a slide presentation was
developed to describe the Effigy Mound
culture. It features the history of mound
research in northeastern Iowa and the
possible meaning and function of the
mounds, and stresses the need for their
preservation. Several of the state's largest newspapers carried stories about the
mounds and their present status. One
ran an editorial emphasizing preservation and the need to develop favorable
cultural resource legislation. The Office
of the State Archaeologist created a
filmstrip on effigy mounds as part of its
public education program.
Increasing public awareness is best
evidenced by the number of people
volunteering to assist in mound projects
and preservation programs. Many, concerned about preserving both natural
and cultural resources, requested that
presentations be made before conservation organizations, whose members
ranged from state officials and teachers
to school children. The theme, combining
archaeology with natural history, was
simple and direct. If cultural resources
can be preserved, so can the natural
environment in which they occur. It is
the same theme, interestingly, that some
believeled people to create these mounds
so many centuries ago- the obligation
and need for humans to be involved
actively in promoting balance and harmony in the universe.
Growing support encouraged the creation of two more aerial photography
projects. The first, in the spring of 1981,
focused on three mound groups near the
mouth of the Hirkey River. The Woman
and the Panther mound groups, resting
on 400-foot-high bluffs overlooking the
Mississippi and the mouth of Adams
Mill Hollow,were accessible only by field
roads. The third mound group, the

Lizard, proved even more formidable.
Located along the crest of a narrow ridge,
it could be reached only by climbing a
steeply pitched slope. The 50-poundlime
bags had to be carried up this slope over
a quarter of a mile. Preparation of the 17
mounds in these three mound groups
required three weekends of labor, with
volunteers clearing brush and stockpiling 2,000 pounds of lime.
The second project in the fall of 1981
was a duplication of an earlier effort. In
1971,archaeologists conducted an experiment in aerial photography in Chantry
Hollow,a small side valley of the Mississippl. Although successful, the six-inch
lime bands made around each of the four
bear mounds and four bird effigies, four
conical mounds, and one linear mound
did not permit good resolution at high
altitudes. This time, the crew outlined
the mounds with 20- to 24-inch lime
bands, to provide the best visual results
to date.
Once again, photographs from both
projects, in conjunction with discussion
with landowners, enhanced preservation
efforts. The Adams family, owners of
the Woman and Panther mound groups,
have expressed strong interest in preserving the mounds and protecting them
from vandals. The Chantry Hollow
Mound Group is a success story in itself.
Its owner has set aside the entire hollow
as a preserve and has requested assistance in stabilizing the mounds.
The aerial photography project will
continue until 1985, when all the remaining effigy mound groups in Iowa
will have been limed and photographed.
Completion of this phase of research and
preservation, however, does not signal
the end of the cultural resource management program. It is only a beginning.
Members of the Luther College Archaeological Research Center are now
designing a thematic nomination of the
Effigy Mound culture to be submitted to
the National Register of Historic Places.
A broader program to achieve greater
interaction between federal and state
agencies, educational institutions and
landowners is slowly developing. One of
the program's central points focuses on
sponsoring legislation to give tax incentives to landowners who preserve
cultural resources. By working in cooperation with the Iowa Division of
Historic Preservation- one of the program's strongest supporters- the Iowa
Preserves Board and the National Park
Service, the possibility exists that the
last effigy mound groups will be preserved.
One of the critical messages of the
past may be partially realized. This
message- that human welfare and environmental quality need not be mutually
exclusive- coincides with the cultural
resource management theme of stewardship. We must assume responsibility for
the quality of our life by respecting the
environment which enhances it.

Archaeology Magazine - July/August 1982

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - July/August 1982