MUSCODA…..Frank’s Hill, an effigy mound site in southern Richland County, will be open to the public for observance of the autumnal equinox. Fall officially begins at 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, September 23rd. Everyone is invited to gather at Frank’s Hill near Muscoda to view the sunset and gather around a campfire on the evening of the September 22nd to bid farewell to summer or to view the first sunrise of autumn on the morning of September 23rd. The site also may be visited during the day to see the mounds and the grand vista. The Three Eagles Foundation will have a tour guide available at 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening prior to the sunset. Participants should arrive by 6:00 a.m. to view the sunrise on Saturday the 23rd. The events are subject to suitable weather conditions. A short hike will be required to the top of the hill that offers a stunning view of the lower Wisconsin River valley. The site is located 2 miles west of Muscoda near the intersection of Hwy. 60 and Hwy. 193.
Frank’s Hill is on the National Register of Historic Places. A group of unique effigy mounds is situated on the east ridge where the observances will occur. Across Hwy. 193 lies the west ridge where a line of small conical mounds, thought to be calendar mounds, is situated. The lands around the site once contained the highest concentration of bird effigy mounds found anywhere in the world. The mounds are thought to have been built during the Late Woodland period dating back to one thousand or more years ago.
To learn more about the equinox event or for directions, contact Mark Cupp at (608) 739-2179 or visit our Facebook page.