The well-known and documented Nitschke Mounds are comprised of 2 mound groupings with a total of 62 effigy, conical and linear mounds.  Forty-six of these mounds were identified in the northern group - located on the now County-owned property.

The so-called turtle and panther mounds are long-tailed forms that comprise the second largest class of effigy mounds.  The long-tailed mounds were representative of water spirits usually found in areas with large lakes, swamps and marshes and typically were located near springs.  These springs flow from the earth and have been revered by ancient people as a source of life-giving water, symbolic of rebirth and renewal.  Springs also represented entrances to the water underworld for the powerful water spirits.  

The Nitschke Mounds are located less than 2 miles from the Horicon Marsh and the site has 2 continuously flowing springs.

The largest mound in the group is a Turtle Effigy that measures 200' in length by 57' in width and 4' in height.  The mounds were mapped and catalogued during a 1929 investigation which revealed that most of the mounds contained burials.

• Who built the mounds and why on this site?

• Were they for ceremonial, spiritual or functional purposes?

• Why do many of them resemble animals?

• Why were some used for burials and others weren't?

• Were the mounds part of an ancient village?

While there are many theories to these and other questions, we may never know the answers for certain.  However, it is only through the  preservation and study of unique sites like the Nitschke Mounds that we have any hope of trying to understand the mysteries of the mounds.....

Outline drawings of some of the effigy mounds are shown below.
DRAWING	TYPE OF MOUND	MOUND #	MAX LENGTH	MAX WIDTH	MAX  HEIGHT
	Panther Effigy	21	128'	39'	2.1
	Turtle Effigy	10	200'	57'	4'
	Canine (Wolf or Fox) Effigy	22	102'	47'	1.8'
	Tadpole or Gourd Effigy	20	90'	46'	1.5'
	Buffalo or Bear Effigy	9	89'	35'	3.3'
	Flying Goose Effigy	Details not available