Man Mound Landmark Gathering

Man Mound Park, about four miles NW of Baraboo, was dedicated by the Sauk County Historical Society, the Wisconsin Archeological Society, and the Wis. Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1908.  The park encompasses a mound of earth in the form of a man, measuring 214 feet by 48 feet. 

The Man Mound was first surveyed by William H. Canfield in 1859. At the time, it was one of only two man-shaped mounds in the state.

In 1905, H.E. Cole, local historian and photographer, and A.B. Stout, science teacher at Baraboo High School, were conducting an archeological survey of area mounds, and the Man Mound in particular.  They soon learned that the owner of the property was about to commit the property to the plow!  The two men launched an immediate appeal to the Wisconsin Archaeological Society and the Sauk County Historical Society in an effort to obtain the grounds upon which the mound was situated.  A committee was formed and a movement organized to raise $225 to purchase the property. Among those on the committee, were H.E. Cole and Jacob Van Orden.

On Aug. 8, 1908, a group of 200 assembled at the Warren Hotel, and proceeded to the site of Man Mound Park  to dedicate the land and the marker. “Vehicles of every description being in waiting and the trip through the picturesque county began,” noted a reporter.

In 2017, the Man Mound Effigy Mound was designated a National Landmark by the National Park Service. The events of that celebration are depicted on this page.