How were mound locations selected?
Some people might argue that the answer to that question could only be provided by the builders of the mounds. This is true in one sense, but we can still ask the question and hope to answer it by looking at where mounds are placed and what similarities those locations share with each other. A total of 11 mound groups are, or were, present on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus (including the Arboretum). When we look at where the mounds are located, we find that 8 of the 11 groups are on ridge tops overlooking Lake Mendota or Lake Wingra. The remaining 3 are located immediately adjacent to lake or marsh margins. From this brief examination, it seems apparent that mound locations were chosen for their proximity to water sources first, as all of the mounds are found near water; and second, in elevated locations. The elevated locations would have provided panoramic vistas of the surrounding region. While we cannot judge what those vistas meant to the builders of the mounds, we can
