Georgia Indian Mounds- Etowah

On the last day of my trip to Georgia, I spent the day doing the things that make my travel easier, downsizing my things to one carry on, and laundry.  The dreaded laundry!   I did find time to make a visit to the Etowah Indian Mounds just outside the town limits of  Cartersville.

Unlike the mounds I visited on my Mississippi River Road trip, those were thought to be burial mounds, these were built to give a commanding view of the surrounding area.

The entrance fee is $10.00 and I think I received a 20% discount because I had a GA State Park pass.

The park entrance

The museum is filled with artifacts that were acquired when an archeological dig of the site was conducted.  It contains an impressive collection of well preserved spearheads, arrows, pottery, and beads thought to be used as jewelry or for trading.

One of the several displays inside the museum

The museum is small and has a nice short film for viewing that explains the history of the Indians who made these mounds.  I found the hand dug out canoe the best feature in the room but the lighting was not good enough to get a good picture.

I exited the theater to walk to the mounds.  These mounds sit along the Etowah River and at the pinnacle of the Etowah civilization it had close to 5000 inhabitants.  The main mound is impressive (mound A). With steps leading to the flat top.  As with the other parks I had visited in Georgia this January, I had the place to myself.

Mound A and B at Etowah Mounds

After the 80+ step climb to the top of Mound A, you get an idea why it was built.  You can see the countryside for miles, it has a great view of the river.  Not sure what the wind would have been like on this flat top mound.  The day I was there it seemed like it would get a bit breezy to have an unprotected house here.  You can get a good idea on how easy it was to keep a good eye on what was going on in the Indian village from that vantage point.

Looking down to Mound C with the Etowah River in the background

This blog brings my January trip to Georgia to a close, except for the GA Hummm… file which will be released later this week.

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