16 Mound builders were a prehistoric group of people that made these markings called “effigies” in the shapes of various animals. These animal effigies were usually seen in groups that represented similar shapes, The effigies that were made by these mound builders were commonly made near the riverbanks, as most were discovered along the river such as the “lizard effigy mound”1. The lizard mound is an effigy that was created by the mound builders sometime between 650-1300 AD. After its discovery, a park was made for it in an attempt to preserve the works of the Mound Builders called “Lizard Mound Park'' which contains the lizard mound along with several others found within the area. There were more markings of the mound builders found along the Mississippi river as well. Another effigy found in Galena Illinois’s Casper Bluff Land & Water Preserve (also made sometime between 650-1300 AD) is called the “Thunderbird Effigy Mound”2 which has a wingspan of 112 feet and is the last of its kind, as the rest of the thunderbird effigies have worn off and disappeared from the ground. Furthermore, another effigy located in Galena created by the mound builders is the bear effigy mound. This mound is located at Keough Effigy Mounds which is close to the Mississippi River and is the only known bear effigy in Illinois. The Sac and Fox tribes were affected by the Fox River in a different way.1 The Sac and Fox tribes are two distinct tribes of people, however they have been closely linked since the events of the Fox Wars and the relocation of the Fox Tribe. The Fox people named themselves, “The People of the Red Earth,” which is due to their cultural icon, Wisaka, who supposedly formed the first humans out of red clay. The Fox tribe originally resided along the Saint Lawrence River, living off of the waterway as a source of food and general wellbeing. However, the Fox people were involved in various conflicts that were detrimental to them and their 1 J.F. Snyaer, “Prehistoric Illinois: Certain Indian Mounds Technically Considered : Snyaer, J. F. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming,” Internet Archive (Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984), January 1, 1909), https://archive.org/details/jstor-40193991; Jim Johannsen, “Thunderbird Effigy Mound, Galena, Illinois,” Trail Run Project, 2017, https://www.trailrunproject.com/gem/537/thunderbird-effigy-mound; New World Encyclopedia Editors, “Fox (Tribe),” Visit the main page, 2017, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Fox_(tribe)#History.
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