Following a family wedding in Madison, Wisconsin, my parents and I made a stop on the way home at Effigy Mounds National Monument. This was my second (and final) Iowa National Parks Service site and my parent’s first crashing along the My 100 Parks tour.

The northeastern portion of Iowa proves that not everything in Iowa is flat. The hills and cliffs along the Mississippi provided beautiful views of leaves just beginning to turn. Atop the hills, prehistoric American Indians honored their dead by burying them in mounds. The ones found here were made in the shape of various animals (Pro tip: effigy means “in the shape of”). Many of these mounds were built more than 2,000 years ago.

The great bear mound is 137 feet long and 70 feet wide. Each around about 8 feet high. While up close, the shapes aren’t as clear, the aerial images of the mounds provide an impressive look at this early honoring of the deceased.