High Cliff State Park
High Cliff State Park is a 1,187-acre (480 ha) Wisconsin state park near Sherwood, Wisconsin. It is the only state-owned recreation area located on Lake Winnebago.[2] The park got its name from cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, a land formation east of the shore of Lake Winnebago that stretches north through northeast Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, and Ontario to Niagara Falls and New York State.[2]
High Cliff State Park | |
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![]() Conical effigy mound | |
![]() ![]() Location of High Cliff State Park in Wisconsin ![]() ![]() High Cliff State Park (the United States) | |
Location | Calumet, Wisconsin, United States |
Coordinates | 44°09′33″N 88°17′22″W |
Area | 1,187 acres (4.80 km2) |
Established | 1956 |
Governing body | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources |
Website | High Cliff State Park |
High Cliff Mounds | |
Location | Calumet County, Wisconsin, USA |
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Nearest city | Sherwood |
Built | 500 - 1500 AD |
NRHP reference No. | 96001629 |
Added to NRHP | January 25, 1997[1] |
A new Master Plan for the park created in 2013 aims to nearly double the size of the park, to add new amenities, and expand conservation efforts.[3]
Activities and amenities
- Trails: Hiking trails include the .6-mile (0.97 km) limestone-surfaced Indian Mound Trail. The north shoreline of Lake Winnebago can be seen from a 40-foot-tall (12 m) observation tower at the top of the escarpment. Various trails are available for biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.[4]
- The park also offers camping, picnicking, boating, swimming, fishing, and hunting.[4]
- A statue of Red Bird, the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) leader, overlooks the northeast end of Lake Winnebago.[5]
Effigy mounds
The effigy mounds at the top of the escarpment have led to a small part of the park being added to the National Register of Historic Places, listed as High Cliff Mounds.[1] A trail meanders through six long-tailed mounds and several conical mounds.[6] The group originally consisted of a bird and a mound that was most likely a bear.[6] The mounds are consistent with other mound groups found at the peak of the Niagara Escarpment along the eastern shore of Lake Winnebago, including the Calumet County Park Group.[6]
See also
- Mound
- Mound builder (people)
- Earthwork (archaeology)
- List of burial mounds in the United States
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- "High Cliff State Park". Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. July 19, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- Wisconsin DNR. "High Cliff State Park 2013 Master Plan" (PDF).
- "High Cliff State Park: Activities and recreation". Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. July 19, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- Red Bird statue, other views
- Birmingham, Robert A.; Eisenberg, Leslie E. (2000). Indian Mounds of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 194. ISBN 0-299-16874-3. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
calumet county park mounds.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to High Cliff State Park. |
- High Cliff State Park Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- High Cliff State Park 1982 Master Plan
- High Cliff State Park 2013 Master Plan