Beattie Park Mound Group
Encyclopedia
The Beattie Park Mound Group is a grouping of Late Woodland
period Upper Mississippian
Indian mounds located in downtown Rockford, Illinois
, United States.
' Beattie Park. It consists of three conical mounds (one outside the park boundaries), an effigy mound in the shape of a turtle, and a linear mound. Beattie Park is north of Park Avenue and south of Mound Avenue, but there is one mound remnant in front of the house at 509 Indian Terrace. On its west, the park is bounded by Main Street and to its east lies the Rock River
. Mounds are the most visible evidence of cultures which once exploited the plant and animal species that the mix of biomes in northern Illinois provided.
Mound groupings, primarily located along waterways, as is the case with the Beattie Park Mounds, are found south of the conifer hardwood forests and stretch from the Upper Mississippi Valley to Lake Michigan
. Mostly found north of the southern edge of the prairie (a line a few miles south of the Illinois-Wisconsin border) at the Rock River the mound groupings dip south into Illinois and continue west toward Dubuque, Iowa
.
The mounds and mound remnants in Beattie Park date from an era during the Late Woodland known as the Effigy mound
Period. This period spanned from about 300-1100 C.E.
and influenced the Upper Mississippi River
Valley in Iowa
, Illinois
, Wisconsin
and Minnesota
. Native American Mound builders were not a culture, per se, it is more likely that there were vast differences in culture associated with the groups building effigy mounds during the same time period. The mounds in Beattie Park probably date from the early part of the time period 700-1100, when most of the effigy mounds seem to have been built. The effigy mound building tradition dates to as early as 300 C.E. and spans the entire period until the mid-17th century, when Europeans first landed on the North America
n continent.
The grouping represents the remnants of an area of nine conical mounds, a linear mound an earthen embankment
and two effigy mounds; a bird and a turtle. Through the years, some of the mounds were destroyed or disturbed. When the Rockford Art Museum constructed a parking lot on North Main Street in the mid-1950s one of the conical mounds was destroyed. A ruined bird effigy was destroyed while the North Main Manor apartment building was under construction across Park Avenue from the mounds.
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
period Upper Mississippian
Upper Mississippian culture
Upper Mississippian culture, sometimes referred to as Upper Mississippian cultures , is the archaeological designation for certain late prehistoric cultures of the indigenous peoples of eastern North America, located in the present day Midwestern United States region.Included are:*the Oneota...
Indian mounds located in downtown Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
, United States.
Location
The Beattie Park Mound Group is located in downtown Rockford, IllinoisRockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
' Beattie Park. It consists of three conical mounds (one outside the park boundaries), an effigy mound in the shape of a turtle, and a linear mound. Beattie Park is north of Park Avenue and south of Mound Avenue, but there is one mound remnant in front of the house at 509 Indian Terrace. On its west, the park is bounded by Main Street and to its east lies the Rock River
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
. Mounds are the most visible evidence of cultures which once exploited the plant and animal species that the mix of biomes in northern Illinois provided.
Mound groupings, primarily located along waterways, as is the case with the Beattie Park Mounds, are found south of the conifer hardwood forests and stretch from the Upper Mississippi Valley to Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. Mostly found north of the southern edge of the prairie (a line a few miles south of the Illinois-Wisconsin border) at the Rock River the mound groupings dip south into Illinois and continue west toward Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
.
History
Effigy mound
Sites in the U.S. of similar history may be found at Indian Mounds ParkAn effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, or human figure. Effigy mounds were only built during the Late Woodland Period .Effigy mounds were constructed in many...
Period. This period spanned from about 300-1100 C.E.
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
and influenced the Upper Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
Valley in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Native American Mound builders were not a culture, per se, it is more likely that there were vast differences in culture associated with the groups building effigy mounds during the same time period. The mounds in Beattie Park probably date from the early part of the time period 700-1100, when most of the effigy mounds seem to have been built. The effigy mound building tradition dates to as early as 300 C.E. and spans the entire period until the mid-17th century, when Europeans first landed on the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n continent.
The grouping represents the remnants of an area of nine conical mounds, a linear mound an earthen embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
and two effigy mounds; a bird and a turtle. Through the years, some of the mounds were destroyed or disturbed. When the Rockford Art Museum constructed a parking lot on North Main Street in the mid-1950s one of the conical mounds was destroyed. A ruined bird effigy was destroyed while the North Main Manor apartment building was under construction across Park Avenue from the mounds.
External links
- Property Information Report, Illinois Historic Preservation AgencyIllinois Historic Preservation AgencyThe Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is tasked with the duty of maintaining most State-owned historic sites within Illinois, and maximizing their educational and recreational value to visitors....
, accessed October 23, 2008.