[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14928]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     100TH ANNIVERSARY OF MAN MOUND

 Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I would like to recognize the 
importance of Man Mound and congratulate the citizens of Sauk County 
and the Sauk County Historical Society for their extensive and 
successful preservation efforts.
  Hundreds of years ago, before the Europeans came to this land, a band 
of Native Americans began efforts to alter the landscape by creating 
effigy mounds. Although the purpose is still unclear, effigy mounds 
were primarily used for religious purposes, though some served as 
burial mounds. Particularly in the Midwest, American Indians often 
built the earthen mounds in the shape of animals; however, Man Mound, 
located in Sauk County in Greenfield Township, WI, is the one of the 
few effigy mounds in the shape of a man. Over 900 mounds once existed 
in Sauk County, yet over 75 percent of the mounds have been plowed, 
erased by floods or destroyed by looters and construction. Although the 
legs of Man Mound were partially destroyed during road construction in 
the early 1900s, preservation of Man Mound continues and further 
destruction to the mound has not occurred. Due to the shrinking number 
of mounds and the rare human shape of the mound in Greenfield Township, 
Man Mound needs to be recognized as a valuable part of history.
  The Sauk County Historical Society dedicated Man Mound Park, the area 
surrounding the mound, in 1908 and has since made efforts to keep the 
mound in its original state. The efforts of the people of Sauk County 
and the Sauk County Historical Society to protect the effigy mound were 
progressive and laudable. Man Mound is believed to be the best 
preserved man-shaped Native American effigy mound remaining in the 
United States, a title only possible through the commitment of the 
Historical Society and the citizens of Sauk County.
  On August 9, 2008, citizens from many parts the State of Wisconsin 
will gather to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the preservation of 
the Man Mound. The commemoration will highlight this unique Native 
American effigy mound, increase awareness of its value as a landmark 
and allow for further investigation as to whether there are more mounds 
in the area. Man Mound will serve as an educational resource for the 
people in Greenfield Township, Sauk County and Wisconsin. The 
preservation efforts by the people of Sauk County have not gone 
unnoticed. The Sauk County Historical Society, the Ho-Chunk Nation, the 
Wisconsin Historical Society, the Wisconsin Archeological Society, the 
General Federation of Women's Clubs-Wisconsin, the Wisconsin 
Archeological Survey and the Sauk County UW Extension, Arts and Culture 
Committee have dedicated valuable time and resources toward the 
commemoration of Man Mound. The individuals involved deserve 
recognition, praise and thanks for their hard work.

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