Sacred Space

The mounds preserved here are considered sacred by many Americans, especially the Monument’s 20 culturally associated American Indian tribes. A visit offers opportunities to contemplate the meanings of the mounds and the people who built them. The 200 plus American Indian mounds are located in one of the most picturesque sections of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.

2017 America the Beautiful Quarters Program – Effigy Mounds National Monument Rolls and Bags are now available.

The America the Beautiful Effigy Mounds National Monument quarter is the first in 2017, and the 36th overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. The Effigy Mounds National Monument protects one of the largest remaining concentrations of ancient American Indian earthworks in the United States. 

The reverse (tails) design depicts an aerial view of mounds in the Marching Bear Group. Inscriptions are “EFFIGY MOUNDS,” “IOWA,” “2017,” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”