Indian Mounds Regional Park (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

There were once at least 19 mounds at the intact group, plus another 32 a short distance to the northwest directly above Carver's Cave, known as Wakan Tipi (Sacred Home or Tipi) in the Dakota language and considered a sacred place by the Dakota, Ho-Chunk, and Ioway nations. The mounds of the second, Dayton's Bluff Group were all quite small, under high. ==Survey and excavation==

Edward Duffield Neill first excavated the mounds in 1856. In 1862, Alfred Hill and William Wallace, members of the Archaeological Committee of the Minnesota Historical Society, documented 21 mound locations at the northwestern "Dayton's Bluff" group and 16 or 17 at the Indian Mounds Park Group. The mounds are so large that intrusive excavations often consisted of less than 5% of mound volume. Most of the artifacts he collected were sold and have since been lost. But reexamination of stone tools Lewis found in association with the stone cists, which are still held by the Minnesota Historical Society, show that they were made of local materials and date to the Late Archaic period, placing the first burials at this cemetery at least 2,500 years ago, when mound burials were not typically made in this region. In the late 19th century, the bluff-face was gradually demolished to widen the rail yard at its foot, destroying several mounds as well as the outer chamber of Carver's Cave. In a time "when digging into a mound was a respectable Sunday pastime", locals also repeatedly looted and vandalized the mounds. The Minnesota Historical Society performed a modern archeological field survey of the mound site in 1981. Christina Harrison conducted excavations under the Air Mail beacon in 1994. Geophysical surveys by Archaeo-Physics in 2012 supported the National Register Nomination. ==Park development==

Interest in preserving the open land along the blufftop arose in the 1880s as the local population boomed. The City of Saint Paul struggled to buy the land from its various owners, as some were unwilling to sell and others sold to real estate speculators first. By 1896 enough property was assembled for the city to begin landscaping and building visitor amenities. In sharp contrast to modern practices, 11 mounds were leveled because they blocked the view of the river. Only the six largest mounds remained. The park was expanded to in 1900. Later, paths were removed from mounds and soil added to damaged areas, and in 1914 a still-standing brick pavilion was built to house a refreshment stand, restrooms, and space for open-air concerts. Wicaḣapi underwent a major restoration in the 1980s using state and federal funds for developing the Great River Road. The pavilion was restored, new amenities added, and houses and a road were removed. The Dayton's Bluff Community Council raised funds and placed decorative fences around the mounds as a protection from visitors. ==Airway beacon==

Adjacent to the mounds is a airway beacon built in 1929 as part of a national network to aid pilots delivering airmail. It is one of the few remaining airway beacons in the U.S. ==Recreation==

Wicaḣapi has two electrified picnic shelters that private groups can rent. Other visitor amenities include a playground, barbecue grills, fire rings, restrooms, a drinking fountain, paved trails, a ball field, and tennis courts. ==See also==