Serpent Mounds Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Serpent Mounds Provincial Park |
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Burial mounds like these inspired the name of the park due to their zig-zags resembling a serpent.
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| Location | Keene, Ontario, Canada |
| Nearest city | Peterborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Area | 1.35 km2 (0.52 sq mi) |
| Closed | 2009 |
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| Status | Closed due to the decline in the tourism market and failing infrastructure |
| Camp sites | 152 |
| Designated: | June 12, 1982 |
| Statute: | Historic Sites and Monuments Act |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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| Designated: | 1957 |
Serpent Mounds Park is a former historical and recreational park located in Keene, Ontario, Canada. Serpent Mounds operated as a provincial park, established in 1955 through a lease with the Hiawatha First Nation, a historic Mississaugas people. During this time, in 1982, the mounds were designated a National Historic Site, comprising six sites, including on east Sugar Island. From 1995 to 2009, the Hiawatha First Nation operated the park privately, offering camping facilities, beach access on Rice Lake, a cultural centre, and interpretive walks among the historic serpent and nearby mounds. The park has been closed since 2009.
History
Archaeological field work on the campground has revealed that the construction and occupation of the Serpent Mounds area occurred about 2000 years ago during the prehistoric Middle Woodland Period. The first prehistoric peoples to occupy the site were classified by archaeologists as the Point Peninsula Complex, based on their artifacts. The people existed in central and southeastern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, and northern parts New York state between 300BC and 700AD.
Attractions
Serpent Mounds Park offered many activities, including:
- Native American art workshops
- Birdwatching
- Swimming
- Fishing
- Boating
