White Bear Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

American Indian Mounds

Photographed by McGhiever, July 26, 2024

1. American Indian Mounds Marker

Inscription.

Originally at least nine burial mounds dotted this area, but only one remains today. From about 1400-1700 A.D. the Woodland Indians, ancestors of the present day Dakota, buried their dead in mounds. The largest of White Bear's mounds was located at this site. It was a noted tourist attraction and in 1885, William F. Markoe, son of the property owner, used his vacation to shape 480 fifteen inch pieces of tamarack to form walls for a gazebo atop the mound. The interior was then furnished with a round table and circular chairs. The Gazebo was blown down during a storm in 1887 and the mound followed in April of 1889.

After much debate, the Village of White Bear decided to demolish the mound after an accident that had occurred over the previous season when a horse drawing a carriage of passengers from Stillwater was spooked. The carriage overturned and one of the passengers, Charles Wheeler, was killed. His sister, Nellie, was injured and brought a lawsuit against the Village of White Bear. Her claim was denied, but the mound was ordered to be removed and the road straightened.

Grave goods and nineteen skeletons were

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exhumed from the mound and shipped by box car to the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul. The artifacts were accepted but the car with the remains was returned to White Bear. Seventeen of the skeletons were buried at Union Cemetery and two were reburied on the property near the original mound. On the centennial of the mound demolition a marker was placed on the previously unmarked gravesite at Union Cemetery.

The cottage shown above, known as Mound Cottage, was located at the corner of Shady Lane and Lake Avenue. This small summer home was one of the first cottages at the lake and the site of the first Catholic masses in the area.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Disasters • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1400.

Location. 45° 4.786′ N, 93° 0.723′ W. Marker is in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Shady Lane, on the left when traveling west on Lake Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4579 Lake Avenue,

American Indian Mounds Marker overlooking White Bear Lake image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, July 26, 2024

2. American Indian Mounds Marker overlooking White Bear Lake

Saint Paul MN 55110, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Historic Lake Avenue (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away); White Bear Lake Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); White Bear Lake Civil War Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); The Original Townsite Plat of White Bear Lake (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fillebrown House (approx. half a mile away); White Bear Lake / The Dakota Legend of White Bear Lake (approx. ¾ mile away); Erd-Geist Gazebo (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in White Bear Lake.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 636 times since then and 137 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 15, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.