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Aztalan Celebration - October, 2003 |
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Midwest Archaeological Conference Feature Archive |
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Aztalan Celebration
Aztalan State Park enjoys a prime location in Wisconsin, south of I-94 between Madison and Milwaukee. Aztalan represents a Late Woodland and Middle Mississippian village site (ca. AD 1000-1300), located on the banks of the Crawfish River in Jefferson County. On October 20, 1928, the site was first dedicated as a county park. That first park focused on the set of mounds along the county road, but it was the beginning of a process that eventually led to the larger, current state park. Today, the park is owned and operated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and eventually, we hope that there will be an interpretive center and that Aztalan will serve as a gateway or introduction to the Indians of Wisconsin for visitors to the state.
On October 19, 2003, Michigan State University (MSU), in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Milwaukee Public Museum, and the Friends of Aztalan, hosted a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the park’s founding. The event was held in conjunction with the end of the 49th Midwest Archaeological Conference, in Milwaukee. In addition to those attending the conference, local residents and government officials came out to the park to help celebrate. The event featured enlargements of photos of Aztalan from the late 1920’s and 30’s, artifacts excavated by Samuel Barrett in the 1920’s and now housed at the Milwaukee Public Museum, and maps created by MSU from a Geographic Information System based on all excavations conducted at the site. In addition, a new Master Plan for Aztalan — a two-year effort undertaken by the DNR and recently approved by the state’s Natural Resources Board — was also featured. Among other highlights, the new plan includes creation of an interpretative center. As noted by speakers at the event, future development will enhance Aztalan’s value as a park, an archaeological resource, and a Native American educational site.
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