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Observatory Hill Mound Group

Coordinates: 43°04′34″N 89°24′36″W / 43.07611°N 89.41000°W / 43.07611; -89.41000
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Observatory Hill Mound Group
Observatory Hill Mound Group is located in Wisconsin
Observatory Hill Mound Group
LocationObservatory Hill, Madison, Wisconsin
Coordinates43°04′34″N 89°24′36″W / 43.07611°N 89.41000°W / 43.07611; -89.41000
Arealess than one acre
NRHP reference No.04000255[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 31, 2004

The Observatory Hill Mound Group is a group of Native American mounds on Observatory Hill on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The group consists of two effigy mounds, one in the shape of a bird and the other in the shape of a double-tailed turtle or water spirit.[2] A panther effigy and a linear mound were once part of the group as well, but these were destroyed in the twentieth century.[3] The mounds were built between 650 and 1200 A.D. by the Late Woodland people, who were responsible for building effigy mounds throughout Wisconsin.[4]

The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 31, 2004.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Observatory Hill". University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  3. ^ Birmingham, Robert A.; Rankin, Katherine H. "Native American Mounds in Madison and Dane County" (PDF). City of Madison and the Native American Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 12, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. ^ "Effigy Mounds Culture". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
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