Governor Nelson State Park Mounds
(Morris Group #2)
Morris Group #2, located in the Governor Nelson State Park, should not be confused with other groups bearing similar names.
Morris Group #1 used to exist nearby, just southwest of Morris Group #2. Another group, on the shores of Lake Waubesa, used to be
called Morris Group, but was later renamed into Waubesa South Group.
The group has 1 panther and either 5 or 6 conicals (accounts differ) remaining today. It used to have one more panther and another
effigy, 1 linear and 1 tapering linear mounds.
The panther mound is in decent shape, although the front part, located near residential area, is being overtaken by shrubbery, and
few large trees were never removed from the mound. There is a nice semi-roofed bench next to the trail to relax and reflect near the
effigy (see above).
The conicals close to the trail are in decent shape too, but the ones deeper in the woods are being consumed by invasives (that's why
it's impossible to say whether there are five or six of them). They also have problematic trees growing on them (see above).
The park had decorative fence installed around the panther and conicals, and there are several interpretive tablets along the trail. Unfortunately, being close to the city and very popular in this corner of Wisconsin, the park frequently suffers from vandalism.
The decorative fence was felled in several places, and cannot be restored in its current form since, being so close to the mounds,
it would be against the modern-day law protecting the mounds. The tablets describing the history of the region were once stolen,
and the park has to get creative to make sure the current set stays put. They're also placed in storage for the winter season.
There is also a panther mound (sans the tail part) just off the Borchers Beach Road in the southern part of the park, marked by a
plaque. The original mound was destroyed by excavation, and YMCA has rebuilt it in its current location in 1926. It's not clear to which
group the original mound belonged, since the panther from the Morris Group #2 was to the north of the current location, and Morris
Group #1, which also had a panther, was located to the south. This panther is called Wakanda Panther Effigy, after Camp Wakanda
formerly located on this site. It should not be confused with the Upper Wakanda Mound Group in Dunn County. Also, there used to be
another group of conical mounds here called Borchers Beach Group. All of them were excavated and later destroyed (see below).
Conical Mounds at Governor Nelson State Park
Conical Mound at Governor Nelson State Park
