STOP
7: HICKORY
RIDGE
 |
People have lived in northeast Iowa for at least 13,000
years. Pikes Peak State Park contains a
wealth of archaeological resources relating mostly to one segment of this time
span, the Late Woodland period, ca. A.D. 600-1100. Sixty-five Woodland mounds have been documented in 11 separate
groups within the main portion of the park.
Several probable habitation sites also have been found. The large number of archaeological sites in
the park indicates that Pikes Peak, like the adjacent Mississippi and Wisconsin
River valleys, was heavily utilized in prehistoric times, particularly during
the Woodland period. Hickory Ridge offers an especially interesting series
of mounds. We will also discuss Pikes Peak's dry forest community
while at the ridge. |
Discussion of the
Pre-History and Archaeology of
Pikes Peak State Park and Hickory Ridge Mound Group
by Bill Green, Iowa State Archaeologist
Office of the State Archaeologist
|
The
Pikes Peak mound groups, situated on bluff tops and narrow upland ridges,
contain four bear effigies, eight linears, and 53 conical mounds.
Most of the mounds at Pikes Peak and nearby locations probably were built
by people of the Effigy Mound “culture” of the Late Woodland period. Mound construction appears to have been a ritual and
ceremonial practice. The mounds
covered and honored the dead and also symbolized the connections between humans,
spirits, and the landscape. The
effigies may represent animate spirits, while the linear and conical mound
shapes have uncertain meanings. A series of linear and
conical mounds on Hickory Ridge have an interesting History. Don’t miss this stop. For
more information on the discussion on the Archaeology of Pikes Peak State Park
by Bill Green click here and a discussion of Effigy Mounds National Monument
click here.
Discussion of the
Dry Forest Community of
Pikes Peak State Park
by John Pearson, Senior Environmental
Specialist
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
|
Christiansen (1980) identified six natural forest
community-types in the Pikes Peak State Park. Three of
them form an intergrading complex on steep, rocky slopes dominated by a
variable mixture of sugar maple, red oak, basswood, and white oak. The red oak-dominated communities
that he identified correspond to the “southern dry-mesic forest recognized for Wisconsin
by Curtis
(1959). Click
here to read
more about the vegetation of Pikes Peak State Park. As we move on from this stop John will
continue his discussion of the park’s plant communities as we follow the trail
loop to the southwest and return to the Parking Area
