Rock Lake (Wisconsin)
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Rock Lake is a Lake in Central Wisconsin.
[edit] Geography
Rock Lake is in south central Wisconsin, at Lake Mills, in Jefferson County approximately 20 miles east of Madison. It is 87 feet at its deepest point. Lake Mills is a quaint small town. The town 'square' is actually a triangle, and the discerning eye will find many pyramidal references in town. There is much controversy regarding its underwater pyramids and research is ongoing to discover the significance of what appear to be man made structures. The largest pyramid known as the Limnatis Pyramid is 18 feet tall and has a base width of 60 feet. The pyramids are built of rock and black Stone. There appears to be a plaster covering. Very little has emerged from the depths of the lake to provide any real insight into the mystery, but it deserves exploration.
Mounds shaped like pyramids do exist three miles east of Rock Lake in a State Park called Aztalan State Park, on the Crawfish River in the township of Aztalan. The park has National Landmark Status and is a Midwestern archeological treasure. The mounds are thought to have been built by the Mississippian Mound Builders, and it is speculated that the site at Aztalan is a northern outpost of Cahokia, a much larger city in present day Illinois not far from St. Louis, Missouri.
The Mound Building culture would have occupied the site at the same time as the Woodland Indians. There is some evidence to suggest some mingling of cultures. Aztalan was a small city surrounded by huge log stockades with watchtowers, and the logs were covered with a hardened clay. This is thought to have made the stockade fire resistant. The soil of the area is clay. You can still see where the orignial stockade posts once stood. The current stockades are recreated to illustrate what it must have looked like. There are additional hills, that may be drumlins, natural to the area, however, two large hills right outside of the park boundary are yet to be examined, and may be related to the mounds in the park. The strength and enormity of the stockade suggests that the relationship of those living within the stockade was not always amicable with the neighbors.
There is a great deal of speculation about the people who lived in Aztalan from about 850 to 1300 AD when they mysteriously disappeared. The area was likely significant prior to this settlement as arrowheads dating back to 8500 BC have been found and catalogued. The area seems to have been a significant settlement for quite some time, and for different groups of people, not just mound builders. It is very rich in food sources, for hunters, gatherers and for agriculture. It was thought the land was predominantly oak savanna and prairie.
Several of the mounds have been partially reconstructed and a stockade recreated. There is speculation as to the structures being related to astronomical phenomenon, either as 'clocks' or for religious significance. Mounds apparently line up with the solstice and other cosmic events. Sunsets from east of the park looking over the mounds are stunningly beautiful.
As of yet, there has been no connection made between the pyramids in the lake and the ones at the State Park. The local native people, likely the Sauk, who encountered the first 'settlers' did refer to a foreign people who populated the area along with them during different periods. The Sauk are not thought to be the people who built the mounds at Aztalan State Park, however, Aztlan, is possibly a Sauk word, for the 'clear water' of Rock Lake. Another account is that a pioneer gave Aztalan its name from the pyramids which resemble those of the Aztecs. The origin of the name Aztalan is as mysterious as the pyramids of the area.
The waters of Rock Lake have also been referred to as Tyranena, (Tie-ra-nee-na) and that name has persisted in the area as well, and is used by businesses, road names and a park that is on the lake.
The area certainly deserves more attention than it has gotten. The Wisconsin Deaprtment of Natural Resources and several universities are working to preserve this site. The 'Friends of Aztalan' is a group devoted to exploring the heritage of the park, and another group, the 'Rock Lake Research Society' is working to gather data regarding the structures under the waters of Rock Lake. It is important to remember that Rock Lake water levels are not the same now as they were in the past, so all credible theories deserve scientific examination. Whether the two groups of pyramids relate remains a mystery. There are several books written regarding both locations of pyramids. The museum at Aztalan contains collections of artifacts found in the area.
Hundreds of Woodland Indian Effigy Mounds in the area have been lost to agriculture. Aztalan State Park and other sites in the area still contain some effigy mounds. Aztalan State Park also contains a burial mound of significance. A female, in her 20's was buried on a high ridge, which at one time had a beautiful view. She was roughly 5'7" tall and had a spinal deformity. She was buried with thousands of shelled jewelry and was obviously a person of significance. A marker (Princess Mound) denotes her burial mound. Other pioneer buildings have been moved to the site. A small museum exists there as well, but plans are underway to eventually constuct an interpretive center for the public.
Aztalan State Park is sacred to the Native Americans, and, indeed, sacred to those who cherish the history of this amazing area.
