Spanish Hill

The Builders of the Mounds

Wisconsin University / Lake Mendota Thunderbird Effigy Mound

The University of Wisconsin is located right on Lake Mendota in Madison, WI. There are several effigy mounds located around the lake, and this one in particular sits right on one of the lawns of the University.

Although it is large, and the embankments that form it are only about 2 - 2.5 feet high, it is clearly the same shape of the picture on the monument above. Note it says that the body is 52.5 feet long and the wings formerly spread to 133 feet.

Hang onto your seat for this video - -the way I move the camera around in the beginning might make you feel as if you are on a rollercoaster! (sorry! - I promise to try to do better next time!)

ThunderBird Mound

This mound is located on the Wisconsin University campus grounds.

To learn more about these mounds, visit the Wisconsin Historical Society website.

Here is a list of all videos accessible from this section and concerning the Effigy Mound Culture in Wisconsin.

1.) Water Panther (Spirit) effigy Mound Madison, WI

2.) Thunderbird Effigy Mound- University of Wisconsin.

3.) Devil's Lake and the Legend

4.) Linear and Bear Effigy Mound, Devil's Lake

5.) Man-Mound Effigy Mound in Sauk County Wisconsin

6.) Alligator Mound, Licking County, Ohio

Types of Man-Made Mounds

Man-made mounds are mounds that were made from the ground up and fall into four basic shapes or categories. Conical mounds, Effigy mounds, Temple Mounds and Geometric (usually linear) mounds. Use the following Links to learn more.


Conical Mounds - look like pyramids except that they are rounded. They, just as the great pyramids, were built in honor of some special shaman or king, and are in fact burial sites for them as well.	Effigy Mounds - are shaped like animals and or spirits, and were believed to have ceremonial, navigational and calendar-like purposes. It is known that many of these align with the stars and could have been used to predict solstices, and even eclipses.


Temple Mounds - were mounds that either were man-made or "truncated" natural hills. Structures (many times temples) were placed upon the flattened top and were considered to be "living spaces" for shamans or their leaders and their families.	Geometric-Shaped Mounds - were usually circular, square, or linear in shape, and were thought to have alot of the same uses as the effigy mounds, but sometimes (like the Newark site above) were believed to be created together to build ceremonial & observatory inside large complexes.

To learn more about the people who built the mounds, use the following links:

1.) The Mound Builder Myth	4.) Fort Ancient Culture
2.) Where Were All of These Earthworks?	5.) Types of Mounds
3.) Three Stages of Mound Building Cultures	6.) Helpful Resources (stay tuned!)