Mound 49

About 100 meters (328.1 feet) south of Monks Mound is a tumulus that was called Red Mound on one of the park’s early signs, supposedly because so much red pottery was discovered there. Mound 49 appears on the Patrick Map as a conical mound of regular form. The contours on the 1966 UWM Map, however, suggest a more oval or elongated shape with an east-west axis of nearly 50 meters (164.0 feet) and a north-south axis of approximately 35 meters (114.8 feet).

McAdams shows this mound with a height of approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters) and Thomas 10 feet (3.05 meters). Using the 128-meter contour as a base elevation, the 1966 UWM Map shows a height of 1.7 meters (5.6 feet). No known excavations have been conducted into this mound, which casts doubt on the sign explaining the origins of its name. It is my opinion that this mound was a ridge-topped mound similar to Mound 72 and some of the larger mounds, specifically Mounds 66 and 86.