My favorite part of my camping trip last week, was a visit to Effigy Mounds National Monument. Located across the Mississippi River (in Iowa) and about 15 miles north of Wyalusing, Effigy Mounds National Monument has over 195 mounds built by native peoples between 750 and 1,600 years ago. These earthen mounds probably had a strong religious significance for those who built them. Probably a means of connecting the people to the land, the spirit world, and their ancestors. In fact, some were used for burial purposes.

The above two mounds are part of a chain of conical and linear mounds that string along for over a quarter mile. Unfortunately, the larger mounds at the monument, like the Great Bear Mound, were too big to photograph from the ground. The effigy mounds were obviously intended to be seen by spirits in the sky.

Several of the mounds have beautiful views of the Mississippi River. Mound builders chose the mound in the foreground of the above picture as a burial place.

Standing here soaking in the gorgeous views, you can understand why the native peoples who built the mounds knew this to be a spiritual place.