Madison in Dane County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Mound City
Lake Monona: People
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 2, 2010
1. Mound City Marker
Madison's lakes and savannas contained amazing plant and animal diversity. This ecological wealth created a natural gathering place. Early inhabitants hunted and gathered food, grew corn, made camps, and held ceremonies. Later, Ho-Chunks lived on Lake Monona at the Yahara River outlet, on the Isthmus, and in present-day Monona. Settlers started to arrive in the 1830s, also drawn by the lakes and good soil. In the next decade, James Doty surveyed the
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Dividing Ridge and Drumlins
Until 1910 an 80-foot-tall dividing ridge, half a mile long, rose between Lake Monona and Lake Wingra. The ridgetop had stunning views of Lake Monona and the Isthmus. About 25 effigy mounds were built on its slopes. A moraine left by the last glacier, the ridge was composed of sand and gravel. It was steadily quarried to fill wetlands and build streets between 1870 and 1910. The glacier also left Madison with drumlins, which are elevated, egg-shaped deposits. The Capitol, University's Bascom Hall, and Edgewood College stand on drumlins.
Effigy Mound Builders
Effigy mounds are scattered around Lake Monona. Unfortunately only a small number survived city settlement. Native people usually formed mounds on high, scenic ground overlooking water, such as the old dividing ridge above Monona Bay, on the drumlin where the Capitol now stands, and between Hudson and Olbrich parks. Effigy mounds were no longer built after about 1100. Perhaps a changing society based on growing corn created new ceremonies.
Lake Monona Summer Resorts
In the late 1800s, Lake Monona was a popular summer
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 2, 2010
2. Closeup of Mound City Marker
Caption: Tonyawatha, one of the summer resorts that gave Lake Monona a wide reputation for healthy water and beautiful views.
Madison Remakes its Lakes
Lake Monona once produced high-quality ice for Milwaukee, Chicago, and points south. Each winter throughout the 1860s and 1870s, railroad cars shipped ice from near this spot. But water (and ice) quality dropped as Madison grew. By 1880, ever-larger volumes of sewage poured into Lake Monona, causing a nightmare for residents and city government. Today, sediments, pollutants, livestock manure, and fertilizers flowing through the Yahara River watershed are Lake Monona's greatest environmental challenges.
Erected by the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. (Marker Number 2.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 43° 4.29′ N,
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 2, 2010
3. Closeup of Mound City Marker
Caption: O-wan-ich-koh, or Little Elk, a Ho-Chunk (formerly Winnebago) chief painted in Prairie du Chien in 1825.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Black Hawk (within shouting distance of this marker); Third Lake (within shouting distance of this marker); Otis Redding (within shouting distance of this marker); Pioneer Men and Women (about 500 feet away, measured
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 2, 2010
4. Closeup of Mound City Marker
Caption: Instead of building a canal across the isthmus, Madison channelized the Yahara River.
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 2, 2010
5. Closeup of Mound City Marker
The map shows Black Hawk's route through the isthmus; the locations of effigy mound groups, Ho-Chunk villages, glacial features, and present-day parks; and Lake Monona facts.
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 2, 2010
6. Mound City Marker
Overlooking Lake Monona
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 2, 2010
7. View from the Mound City Marker
Looking away from Lake Monona toward the State Capitol
Credits. This page was last revised on August 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,339 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 7, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
