| East Dubuque Local Area History Project | |
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| There were three different cultures of prehistoric, mound-building Indians in the United States. All of these cultures built burial mounds. | |
| The Adena culture existed from 800 B.C.-100 A.D. They were found all through the Midwest. The Adena people were the first farmers of North America. Hunting and gathering was also a common part of their life. On the farms, the Adena people grew sunflowers, squash, and small, weedy plants. | |
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The Hopewellians were popular and strong in this area from 300 B.C.-500 A.D. There are no written records of these Indians, so everything we know about them is from the artifacts we have found. Because of some of the things we have found by excavating the mounds, we have proof they traded with people from the Gulf of Mexico, Idaho, the Atlantic Ocean, and Canada. Most Hopewellians were traders, hunters, farmers, and fishermen. They grew beans, corn, and clover. They did not use tipis, so if they lived above ground the houses would have been made of wood. They were short, so their houses would have been four feet tall. The Hopewellians got their food from the river, forest, and animals. A lot of their daily life needs came from animals and nature. They could make pottery and jewelry, which were often buried with them. There was a time each year when they would share stories, play games, and trade for three days, sort of what we call a fair. They would farm around ceremonial centers. The Indians did not have slaves or soldiers, but they did have leaders. |
| The Hopewell got the idea of mound building from the Adena people, but the Hopewellians made their mounds in different shapes, such as parallel lines, octagons, squares, and circles. The mounds were mostly used for burying people, but were also used for social gatherings, places to worship, and trading posts. There was not a mound for each person, they had communal burial mounds. They made the mounds using baskets full of dirt. Twenty people could build a small mound in one day using baskets to carry the earth. No tools were used to build the mounds. The burial mounds were better built and more elaborate than the Indian’s own homes. The Hopewell culture collapsed because other tribes moved in and took over. Also the culture grew very big, but they had nothing to keep them together, like we have a government. | |
| The Mississippian culture was around 900-1500 A.D. The Mississippians used wooden fences called palisades to protect their villages. During their time, beautiful jewelry and pottery were made Also bows and arrows were first used. These Indians built huge mounds. There are more than 10,000 mounds in Illinois. They were used for burial mounds, religious ceremonies, and protection from other tribes. The best known Mississippian mound is Monk’s Mound at Cahokia, Illinois, near St. Louis. | |
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Gramercy Park is the oldest historical place in the tri-states, because we know the mounds have been there since 200-500 A.D. The burial mounds that we have in Gramercy Park were built by the Hopewellians. We think they came here because of trade and because they liked to bury the dead on the river bluffs. Not very many communities can say that they have the burial mounds we have. Gramercy Park, which covers three acres, has at least 26 mounds. There were probably a lot more mounds, but they were destroyed when our community was built. People were buried in them, but there were also artifacts and treasures with them in the mounds. At one time, some mounds were robbed. The biggest mound is 700 feet in diameter and 12 feet high, which is a lot smaller than the Mississippian mounds. The mounds have all been excavated and rebuilt. In one mound there were 11 skeletons, one of which still had an infant in its arms. The excavation was probably done in 1882. The contents of the mounds were sent to the Smithsonian, but have since been lost. Later Indian tribes lived in this area, but they didn’t build mounds. |
This park is a historical treasure for our community. It is also the site of one of Nicholas Perrot’s forts. Some East Dubuque City Council members and other volunteers from the community are trying to fix up the park.
They have been working on it since December of 1995. Currently they are in the process of making pavilions, hiking trails, and playground equipment. If you are interested in helping, contact :
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Bibliography Gray, Lucille M. The Story of Illinois. Fenton: McRoberts Publishing Inc., 1977. Our early years: the first of three volumes chronicling the people and lands that make this our home [Dubuque, Iowa] : Telegraph Herald, [1976] Hopewell Culture. [Online]Available http://www.ohiokids.org/ohc/archaeol/p_indian/tradit/hopewell.html 2/25/00 10:01 AM Archaeology in the Trempealeau, WI Area. [Online]Available http://perth.uwlax.edu/mvac/frtremp.htm 2/12/00 4:41 PM Jesse and Jesse Ackemann.Mound Builders in America. [Online] Available http://www.sover.net/~barback/mounds.html 2/25/00 10:02 AM “Stone Age: Hopewell culture.” Encylcopedia Britannica [Online] Available http://www.britannica.../article/9/0,5716117309+9,00, 3/3/00. Adena Culture. [Online] Available http://www.ohiokids.org/ohc/archaeol/p_indian/tradit/adena.html, 3/3/00 Tom Berryman, Gramercy Park Foundation, February 7, 2000. Michael Gibson, Center for Dubuque History, Loras College, February 23, 2000 |
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