While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Elephant Mound. A noted effigy mound, 4 m. s. of
Wyalusing, Grant co., Wis., first brought to public notice in 1872 through a
pencil sketch and brief description by Jared Warner (Smithson. Rep.1872, 1873).
From its massive form and an apparent prolongation of the nose, sup posed to be
a part of the original mound, giving the tumulus a slight resemblance to an
elephant, the name Elephant Mound was applied to it. Although frequently
mentioned and illustrated, the figures are copies of Warner s sketch, no
reexamination having been made until Nov., 1884, when the Bureau of American
Ethnology surveyed and platted the mound; the result of this work appears in its
Twelfth Report (91-93, fig. 44, 1894). The immediate situation is a long
rectangular depression forming a cul de sac, the level of which is only a
few feet above the Mississippi at high water. Although the tract had been
cultivated for many years, the mound at the time of the survey distinctly showed
the rounded surface, the highest point being at the hip of the effigy, where the
height was 4 ft. The measurements were: length, 140 ft; width across the body
and to the lower end of the hind leg. 72 ft. At the time of the survey no
indication of an elephant-like proboscis was found. After an examination of
similar effigies it was determined that this mound was designed to represent a
bear, and that the supposed nasal prolongation seen by Warner was accidental,
due probably to washed or drifted earth. In addition to the references cited,
see Am. Antiq., vi,178, 1884; Strong (1) in Rep. Wis. Geol. Surv. for
1873-4, (2) in Smithson. Rep. 1876, 431, 1877; Thomas, Catalogue
Prehist. Works, Bull. B. A. E., 232, 1891. (C. T)
This site
includes some historical materials that may imply negative stereotypes
reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These
items are presented as part of the historical record and should not be
interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes
implied .
Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, Frederick Webb Hodge, 1906
