Bear Mound Park

Location: 1525 Vilas Avenue and 1108 Garfield Street

Built: ca. 700 - 1200 A.D.

Description: On the western edge of the park is an Indian burial mound in the shape of a bear. It is 82 feet long and is almost intact except for part of the rear leg which was lost to road development. There is also one linear mound of an original group of two remaining on private residential property south of Vilas Circle. The bear, in the religious beliefs of the mound builders, probably symbolized life on the earth's surface, including people; birds probably symbolized sky spirits, and mounds described in the past as "lizards" may have represented water spirits. It is not clear exactly what the linear mounds represented.

These mounds were designated a City of Madison landmark on May 19, 1975, and are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The mounds are considered sacred by modern Native Americans and should be treated with respect.