By Mary Fairchild
On Friday, I traveled to Rock Lake where I met up with Kevin Leher from Rutabaga. I was in the area and decided to see if I could meet with someone who could teach me how to re-enter and roll and work on some self-rescue skills for a few hours.
Rock Lake is only 3 miles away from the important archaeological site of Aztalan.
About the same time that the Vikings founded Greenland and Canada, the "Middle Mississippian" culture appeared in Wisconsin. About AD 1000, emigrants from Cahokia began to build new towns in northern Illinois just before moving up the Mississippi and Rock River valleys into Wisconsin.
Rock Lake is only 3 miles away from the important archaeological site of Aztalan.
About the same time that the Vikings founded Greenland and Canada, the "Middle Mississippian" culture appeared in Wisconsin. About AD 1000, emigrants from Cahokia began to build new towns in northern Illinois just before moving up the Mississippi and Rock River valleys into Wisconsin.
I asked Kevin if I should be concerned about hitting my head on one of the "supposed" submerged pyramids in the lake and he assured me I wouldn't have a problem.
....We were just kidding!!
....We were just kidding!!
We briefly chatted with some of Kevin's neighbors who were arriving at the beach that morning, Kevin lives a few blocks down from the beach where we put in. It was perfect. I was able to park within feet of the beach for free. There were nice public restrooms and the weather was a dream--sunny and 85.
Kevin had assisted Sam Crowley during his circumnavigation of Ireland in 2007. In fall, Kevin will be spending some more time with Sam in Marquette working on his ACA training.
Kevin had assisted Sam Crowley during his circumnavigation of Ireland in 2007. In fall, Kevin will be spending some more time with Sam in Marquette working on his ACA training.
The name Aztalan came from Aztec tradition that describes their ancestors coming from a country up north, which they called Aztalan. It is made up of two Mexican words, atl, water, and an, near which seemed to describe an area that was close to large bodies of water not unlike the great lakes.
The burned remains of the stockade and house walls lended to the thought that Aztalan was most likely burned and not just damaged by natural prairie fires. The Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society writes, "...the Woodland tribes surrounding these intruding strangers with their unheard of foriegn customs, grew intolerant of their superior ways and drove them out. Possibly their canabalistic habits of which there is such unmistakeable evidence in their food refuse, had to do with their abrupt dissappearance..." (2; p. 5) YouTubeAztalanSalon review, "...Andrew O'Hehir calls Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi a "cautious but mesmerizing" account of the archaeological discoveries at the site, which certainly included lots of human sacrifices... it doesn't fit the traditional paradigm of prehistoric Native Americans as eco-friendly hunter-gatherers."
After the Great Depression, Aztalan was sought out to become a national park. The National Park Service made a favorable assessment, especially if the site could be reconstructed, but for economic reasons this never materialized.
The greatest period of public land recreation related construction occured late in and shortly after the Great Depression. Today, there is a lack of funding because tax breaks are being provided to corporations and the wealthy, and direct subsidies to powerful special interest groups. As a direct result of government policy, poor Americans are getting poorer and the wealthy are getting wealthier.
References
1. Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town, Robert A. Birmingham, Lynne G. Goldstein; Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2005.
2. "The Ancient Aztalan Story," Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society; 1969.
The greatest period of public land recreation related construction occured late in and shortly after the Great Depression. Today, there is a lack of funding because tax breaks are being provided to corporations and the wealthy, and direct subsidies to powerful special interest groups. As a direct result of government policy, poor Americans are getting poorer and the wealthy are getting wealthier.
References
1. Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town, Robert A. Birmingham, Lynne G. Goldstein; Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2005.
2. "The Ancient Aztalan Story," Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society; 1969.
