Wickiup Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wickiup Hill |
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 Wickiup Hill
Location in Iowa
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| Location | Iowa, United States |
| Area | 790 acres (320 ha) |
| Governing body | Linn County Conservation Department |
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Wickiup Hill
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| Location | Address restricted |
| MPS | Archaeology of the Wickiup Hill Locality in Linn County, Iowa MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 100007332 |
| Added to NRHP | January 20, 2022 |
Wickiup Hill is a special place in Linn County, Iowa, near the town of Toddville. It's important because it's an ancient area where Native American people lived a long, long time ago. Today, you can visit the Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center there. This center was built on the very spot where a Meskwaki village once stood. Archeologists have carefully studied and dug up parts of Wickiup Hill to learn about its past.
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History of Wickiup Hill
People have lived at Wickiup Hill for about 8,000 years! Archeologists have found signs of old Native American villages and burial grounds here. Iowa law protects these burial grounds, so their exact locations are kept secret. This helps make sure they are not disturbed.
The Oneota, Ioway, and Meskwaki people all used to live in this area. Starting in 1994, experts called archeologists began to explore Wickiup Hill. They did many surveys and digs to find and record historical sites.
Discovering the Past
Many people helped with these efforts. Volunteers joined "field schools," which are like outdoor classes. Teachers learned new things in workshops, and students attended special camps to become "student archeologists."
Thanks to all this work, more than 20 historical sites were found. These sites were in different places, like along river banks, in sand dunes, on bluffs, and on top of ridges.
Some of the amazing discoveries include:
- Campgrounds that are 5,000 years old.
- Groups of ancient mounds.
- Cabins from pioneers who lived there in the late 1800s.
Artifacts Found
Archeologists found many interesting objects during their digs. These included a blue glass bead, pieces of metal, buttons, and old pottery. They also found two Indian Head cent coins from 1865 and one from 1868.
Other cool finds were charred wooden boards that might have been part of a cabin. They also found an oval pit that had flat pieces of dolomite and other rocks. This pit and rocks might have been part of a sweat lodge. Native Americans used sweat lodges for special ceremonies.
National Recognition
In 2020, people started working to get Wickiup Hill added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This is a list of important historical places in the United States. Wickiup Hill was added as a "Multiple Property Submission." This means it's a large area with many important sites. It was named the Archaeology of the Wickiup Hill Locality in Linn County, Iowa.
On January 20, 2022, six separate parts of Wickiup Hill were officially listed on the NRHP. These six areas are:
- Wickiup Hill Late Woodland Village Site
- Wickiup Hill Middle to Late Archaic Camp Site
- Wickiup Hill Mound Group No. 1
- Wickiup Hill Mound Group No. 2
- Wickiup Hill Mound Group No. 3
- Wickiup Hill Mound Group No. 4
Being on this list is a big deal! It means the area is recognized as very important. It can also help Wickiup Hill get more money from the state and federal government to protect and study these sites.
Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center
The Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center is a large nature center. It covers about 790 acres (3.2 square kilometers). It's located on the left side of the Cedar River in Linn County. The Linn County Conservation Department manages this center.
The learning center has many fun things to do. You can see interesting exhibits, go on guided tours, and attend special events. As mentioned, it was built on the site of an old Meskwaki village. In 2021, the nature center even hosted two events where people could go snowshoe hiking!
