According to a press release from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, they along with the Friends of Aztalan State Park are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the park.
Seventy-five years ago this month, the site of the ancient Middle-Mississippian town known as Aztalan became a Wisconsin state park. Located outside of what is today Lake Mills, Aztalan is the grounds of this ancient community that thrived between A.D. 1050 and 1250 and is an important archaeological site for understanding human history in Wisconsin.
Through archaeological study, historians have found evidence of a community surrounded by walls that included a residential area, a plaza, a communal food storage area, ceremonial mounds, and agricultural fields. Historians have also found evidence of stone structures in the Crawfish River where Native people trapped fish for food.
In 1964, Aztalan was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark. Today’s caretakers of the 172-acre Aztalan State Park seek to balance resource protection, site access, interpretive opportunities, compatible recreational activities and careful development and preservation. It is a place to respect, explore, and celebrate the history and mystery of one of Wisconsin’s first farming communities.
A celebration of the park will be on Saturday, October 8 beginning at the park at 10:30 a.m. The event will include speakers, tours, cake and free park admission.