ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IOWA ~ Have you ever driven down a familiar road, never realizing that just a little ways off, there’s a piece of history older than almost anything else around?
Well, here’s something worth knowin’!
Tucked into the wooded countryside between Lansing and New Albin, Iowa, is a remarkable little place called Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve.
And despite the name, there aren’t any fish ponds waiting to greet you!
What you’ll find instead is a place that holds centuries of Native American history, including ancient burial mounds dating back more than 2,000 years.
Thirty Mounds ~ And a Whole Lot of History!
According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Fish Farm Mounds is a three-acre archaeological preserve containing a documented group of 30 conical earthen mounds.
Most measure approximately 20 to 40 feet across.
These mounds were constructed by Native American peoples during the Middle and early Late Woodland periods, between approximately 100 B.C. and A.D. 650.
That’s a remarkable stretch of history!
Long before Iowa had highways, towns, farms, or even its name, people were living in this region, raising families, practicing traditions, and honoring those who came before them.
The earthen mounds are believed to have served religious, ceremonial, and burial purposes.
And here’s something else to think about.
There weren’t any bulldozers, dump trucks, or modern earthmoving machines back then.
These mounds were constructed by carrying and placing basketloads of soil, sometimes over burial sites prepared on the ground.
Imagine the time, care, and effort involved in building even one!
So Why Is It Called Fish Farm Mounds?
Now, here’s a little twist in the story!
The name doesn’t come from raising fish.
It comes from the Fish family, who donated the burial mound property to the State of Iowa in 1935.
The area was officially dedicated as an archaeological state preserve in 1968.
And in 1988, Fish Farm Mounds was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
But people had been documenting this remarkable location long before then.
Historical records show that the site was recorded as early as 1887, and archaeologist Ellison Orr mapped the mound group in 1910.
And the Ground Beneath Them Has a Story, Too!
Here’s where things get even more interesting.
The mounds rest on an ancient terrace above the Mississippi River’s present-day floodplain.
According to the Iowa DNR, the landscape preserves evidence of a time when the Mississippi River floodplain stood nearly 100 feet higher than it does today.
The sandy deposits beneath the terrace may date back to glacial meltwater flowing through the valley thousands of years ago.
And rising nearby are towering sandstone bluffs, made of rock approximately 500 million years old!
Just think about that.
Ancient burial mounds resting on an even older landscape, surrounded by rock formations that were here long before human beings ever walked this earth.
Now THAT is a whole lot of history tucked into one little corner of Iowa!
A Place to Visit ~ And a Place to Respect
Today, Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve is part of the larger Fish Farm Mounds Wildlife Area in northern Allamakee County.
Visitors can reach the area from Highway 26, approximately six miles north of Lansing, and follow the wooden steps from the parking area toward the preserve.
But this isn’t simply another scenic stop along the highway.
These are Native American burial grounds, connected to the lives, beliefs, and traditions of people who lived here many centuries ago.
The mounds are protected by law and deserve the same dignity and respect we would give any cemetery.
It’s a place to appreciate quietly, leaving the earth and its history undisturbed.
Sometimes the Most Remarkable Things Are Right in Our Own Backyard
We often think we have to travel hundreds of miles to discover something extraordinary.
Yet here in Northeast Iowa, a small patch of wooded ground holds stories reaching back thousands of years.
Stories of people, families, traditions, and a landscape that has witnessed more history than we can begin to imagine.
And the next time you’re traveling between Lansing and New Albin, perhaps you’ll look at those wooded hills a little differently.
Because sometimes, what looks like an ordinary piece of countryside is anything but ordinary.
And now you know a little more about it!
Now THAT’S Worth Knowin’! 🐐❤️
Location: Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve, Allamakee County, Iowa.
Directions: From Lansing, travel north on Highway 26 approximately six miles to the Fish Farm Mounds Wildlife Management Area sign on the west side of the highway. Wooden steps lead from the parking area toward the preserve.
Historical information: Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve.
Word ’Round Town ~ Worth Knowin’ 🐐
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Keep Goin’ ‘Round Town
There’s always another story waiting just around the corner.