Visit to Nelson Dewey State Park on the Mississippi River

Nelson Dewey State Park is named after Wisconsin’s first governor.  It sits high up on a bluff area of the Mississippi River in southern Wisconsin with a number of overlooks for viewing the river. There are over eight miles of hiking trails and a number of Native American Indian Burial Mounds.

River barge in the distance going up the Mississippi River

 

 

The following is taken from the Dept of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:

 

“Long before prospectors discovered lead in southwestern Wisconsin, and Marquette and Juliet canoed the Wisconsin River, Native Americans hunted the valleys and ridges, fished the Mississippi River and raised food near their village in the shadow of the bluffs. Remains of these occupations hold clues to the lifestyles and activities of the people who lived here so long ago.

Three groups of burial mounds and two village sites have been found within the boundaries of Nelson Dewey State Park. Artifacts from the villages indicate that this area was inhabited as early as 7,000 years ago, and the oldest burial mounds in the park may be more than 2,000 years old. Most of the mounds appear to have been built between A.D. 500 and 900.”

 

Do Enjoy the views

This is a knot I found on a tree while hiking one of the many trails - interesting!

This tree is said to be 1,200 years old.  Growing out of the rock cliff