Mapping the Native American historical sites and mound groups of the Beloit region.
I love kayaking and hiking along Turtle Creek and the Rock River in Beloit. And when I am moving along these waters and pathways, I am fully aware that I am tracing the same paths and courses that ancient peoples traveled for thousands of years.
I’ve always been intrigued by archeology and, more recently, the history of the land where I live. These two interests came together a few years ago when I came across maps published in the November 1919 issue of The Wisconsin Archaeologist by Ira Buell and was inspired to create a custom Google map showing the modern location of these ancient sites.
The maps shows the locations of known Native American historical and archaeological sites throughout the Beloit region. The map was developed using a combination of early historical records and maps, many of which were created long before modern surveying methods existed. Because of this — and because the courses of Turtle Creek and the Rock River have changed over time — the site locations shown are approximate rather than exact. So, while imperfect, these early records help preserve the memory of sites that were once far more numerous across the Beloit area than many people realize today.
Creating the map was a reminder of how deeply Native American history is woven into the Beloit landscape. Long before modern streets, neighborhoods, and industries, this region was home to villages, campsites, mound groups, trails, and gathering places connected to generations of Indigenous people who lived along the waterways and bluffs of the Rock River valley. Many of those places have disappeared from the visible landscape, but traces of them remain in historical accounts, archaeological records, and the contours of the land itself.
- The Wisconsin Archaeologist, Volume 18, No. 4 (November 1919) by Ira Buell
- My Google Map
- Turtle Creek Mounds and Village Sites,” The Wisconsin Archeologist, 12, #1 (June, 1913), The Hōcąk (Winnebago) Encyclopedia, by Richard L. Dieterle
- PDF of Turtle Creek Mounds and Village Sites, The Hōcąk (Winnebago) Encyclopedia, by Richard L. Dieterle
- “Indian Village and Camp Sites of Lower Rock River Valley in Wisconsin” The Wisconsin Archeologist, October, 1929
About the author: Therese Oldenburg of Beloit, WI loves to kayak and hike along Turtle Creek and the Rock River. She is a board member of the Rock River Trail, Nature At The Confluence, Beloit Public Library Foundation, and is a founder of Friends of Turtle Creek. Her favorite walking companion is her dog Remy, who is always up for a hiking adventure!