Beattie Park Mound Group facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Beattie Park Mound Group
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| Location | Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, USA |
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| Area | 7.5 acres (30,000 m2) |
| Built | c. 300-1100 C.E. |
| Architectural style | Effigy mound |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000084 |
| Added to NRHP | February 27, 1991 |
The Beattie Park Mound Group is a collection of ancient earth mounds built by Native Americans long ago. These special mounds are found in downtown Rockford, Illinois, in the United States. They were created by people from the Late Woodland time.
Where Are the Beattie Park Mounds?
The Beattie Park Mound Group is located inside Beattie Park in downtown Rockford, Illinois. This group includes three mounds shaped like cones. One of these conical mounds is just outside the park.
There is also an effigy mound shaped like a turtle. An effigy mound is a mound built in the shape of an animal or symbol. Another mound is a linear mound, which means it is long and straight.
Beattie Park is found between Park Avenue and Mound Avenue. You can also see a small part of a mound near 509 Indian Terrace. The park is next to Main Street on its west side and the Rock River on its east side.
Ancient mounds like these are often found near rivers. This is because waterways were important for travel and daily life. Effigy mounds, like the turtle mound here, are mostly found in Wisconsin and nearby states. These include parts of Iowa, Illinois, and areas stretching to Lake Michigan.
The History of These Ancient Mounds
The mounds in Beattie Park were built during a time called the Effigy mound Period. This period was part of the Late Woodland era. It lasted from about 700 to 1100 C.E. in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. This area includes parts of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
The people who built these mounds are often called "Mound builders." They were not just one group but several Native American cultures. These groups shared similar ways of making tools and building structures like mounds. The mounds in Beattie Park were likely built early in the Effigy Mound Period, when most animal-shaped mounds were created.
Originally, there were more mounds in this area. The group once had nine conical mounds, one linear mound, and two effigy mounds. One effigy mound was shaped like a bird, and the other was the turtle mound we see today.
Over many years, some of these ancient mounds were damaged or destroyed. For example, a conical mound was lost in the mid-1950s. This happened when a parking lot was built for a store that is now the Rockford Art Museum. The bird effigy mound was also destroyed when an apartment building was constructed across Park Avenue.
