Man Mound National Historic Landmark

Located northeast of Baraboo, on Man Mound Road, sits Man Mound Park. The land was purchased by the Sauk County Historical Society, the Wisconsin Archeological Society and the Wisconsin Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1907 and dedicated as a park the following year. Man Mound Park is named after the rare, man-shaped effigy mound found on the property, measuring about 214 feet long by 48 feet wide. The legs of the Man Mound were partially destroyed by the construction of Man Mound Road in the 1800s and the feet were destroyed by agricultural use of the land.

The Man Mound was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 with a new nomination being written and accepted in 2010 which included the land where the feet were located. In 2016 the property became a National Historic Landmark. The majority of the park property is a cataloged burial site monitored by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

There are three basic forms of mounds, conical, linear and effigy. All have been found to contain human remains and are protected by state law. Man Mound is one of the few surviving effigy mounds in the area. At least 900 mounds of all types existed in Sauk County at one time. Over 85% have been destroyed by plowing, floods, looters and construction.

Most of Man Mound Park is owned by the Sauk County Historical Society with an L-shaped piece to the east of the parking lot being owned by Sauk County. The entire park is managed by the Sauk County Parks and Recreation service  area under a lease agreement. A pit toilet, merry-go-round, picnic tables and benches are provided at this park. There is no entrance fee required at this park.