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My City — Anderson, Indiana USA
Hidden treasures and mysterious adventures await you at the Crossroads of America
To a passerby my hometown of Anderson, Indiana looks like many mid-western cities, especially from the freeway. Flatland. Cornfields. Lots of retail stores and restaurants, a few less due to the pandemic.
If you take Exit 26 or Exit 34 off of Interstate 69 to Mounds State Park, you will discover one of many hidden treasures at the Crossroads of America.
Mounds State Park was once the home of prehistoric Adena-Hopewell Indians that archeologists estimate inhabited our area 1500 years ago. Some artifacts remain and are on display at the Nature Center.
It is believed that the Adena and Hopewell Indians lived in caves under the earthen mounds that led to a nearby river. The Indians used connecting rivers to travel and trade for furs, weapons, pottery, and other useful items.
The caves were imploded in the early 1900s after a little girl got lost in one while visiting the amusement park that used to be at Mounds.
Imagine a big wooden roller coaster, merry-go-round, miniature train going around The Great Mound. People dancing, skating, singing, celebrating life, among the trees and our ancestors.
Mounds State Park is a serene nature preserve now, but the relics are still there if you look close as you hike along the trails near the earthen mounds.
I think Mounds State Park should be added to the Seven Wonders of the World. It is a must-see place for anyone into Native American Indian history, astronomy, archeology, and adventure!
My favorite adventure at Mounds State Park is the stairs that lead into the woods. Actually, there are two sets…
