By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
The same natural features that attract visitors to Upper Whiting Park on the east bank of the Plover River have been attracting people for centuries.
Archaeologists have discovered at least 10 prehistoric Indian mounds in the park. A fragment of Prairie Phase pottery of Woodland Tradition Native Americans, that could be from as early as 200 B.C., was found during an archaeological survey conducted last year.
"This is by far the most northern extent of this culture in Wisconsin," said Tom Willems, director of the Central Wisconsin Archaeology Center.
Willems calls Upper Whiting Park and its mounds "one of the best kept secrets" in the community.
"It's a beautiful area and has some pretty fantastic natural resources and cultural resources," Willems said.
To get the word out about the history of the park, the village of Whiting recently constructed a kiosk, with the help of a Wisconsin Conservation Corps crew and a Department of Natural Resources grant. Right now, display panels in the kiosk contain just a sample of information about the cultural and natural histories of the area. At a ceremony Friday, May 18, the kiosk was dedicated in honor of long-time Whiting Village Trustee Paul Krueger for his support of the village's park system.
"This is a melding of natural resources and cultural resources in this park," said Whiting Village President Charles Kell.
Archaeologists knew of the mound group as far back as the late 1800s, Willems said. The mounds were reported as "pot hunted and looted" in the early part of the 20th Century.
"But the mounds, basically for most of the community, went unnoticed up until now," Willems said.
The mounds are primarily round burial mounds, Willems said. Some of the mounds are effigy mounds, which may have indicated sacred areas, marked resources, or served as boundary or clan markers.
"We are not sure of the exact intent (of the effigy mounds) because there are literally centuries of time separating the interpreters from the builders," Willems said.
Older village residents report at one time a mound in the park had a replica of an eagle on top of it, which "might have been an eagle built out there to protect" the area, Krueger said.
When the Central Wisconsin Archaeology Center conducted its survey last summer, it did not disturb any mounds, Willems said. Researchers conducted 133 shovel tests at five-meter intervals in areas where construction was planned for the park.
In addition to the four previously identified mounds, six other mounds were found, Willems said. Thick brush, which has since been removed by the WCC crew, covered many of the mounds, making them difficult to see.
Mounds similar to these could be found on any well-drained, sandy soils on high and dry sites near lakes and rivers, Willems said. Lake Emily Park has similar mounds, which were probably during the same time by the same culture. Many mounds probably go unnoticed on private property along the Wisconsin and Plover rivers. Human activity, like agricultural and logging, has erased most of the mounds.
"Every mound in the state is very significant for a number of reasons," said Leslie Eisenberg, Burial Sites Preservation Program coordinator for the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
An estimated 80 percent of the mounds built in what is now Wisconsin have been destroyed, leaving the state with only one-fifth of the mounds present 1,000 years ago, Eisenberg said. Still, Wisconsin has the most remaining mounds of any state where mounds are found. Mounds are also located in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Louisiana, Florida and Indiana.
"While people were separated by great distances and while people traveled to some extent, it's obvious their ideas traveled as well," Eisenberg said.
The next step to protect the mounds at Upper Whiting Park is for them to be "cataloged," Eisenberg said. A licensed surveyor will need to determine the exact location of the mounds and submit that information to the Burial Sites Preservation Program office. The office will complete the necessary paperwork and file the information with the county register of deeds office. The county assessor will also be notified.
A surveyor from the Wausau area has volunteered to survey the park's mounds, Willems said.
There is a maximum fine of $10,000 for disturbing a cataloged burial site, Eisenberg said. Landowners with cataloged sites also qualify for tax deductions on that portion of their property. If anyone suspects they have a burial mound on their property, they can contact her office at 1-800-342-7834 to determine if that site has been recorded. If the mound is not recorded, someone from the office will inspect the site. The cataloging process also applies to old family cemeteries or abandoned cemeteries.
"Individual landowners are probably the best stewards of Wisconsin's history," Eisenberg said.
The Whiting Village Board is also committed to protecting the mounds by closing the park's road system to prevent vehicle damage, Kell said. A parking area will be constructed outside the park. The park is also accessible by the Green Circle Trail. The Green Circle Trail Committee was involved in the kiosk project as part of its effort to have interpretative areas along the trail.
"Another unique aspect of the Upper Whiting Park Development project has been the realization that our area's archaeological record, what has been left behind by the people who came long before us, contains volumes of knowledge about the diverse cultural heritage," Willems wrote in a summary of the project. "If these fragile and irreplaceable resources are not protected and preserved for future research and public appreciation, our ability to gain knowledge of the past is in the danger of being forever beyond our grasp."