Large crowd marks Spring Equinox

At Frank's Hill

THESE YOUNG MEN seemed full of the vigor of Spring, and were leaping at the thought of longer days, warmer temperatures, and perhaps summer vacation.

FH Spring Equinox_jumping for spring — THESE YOUNG MEN seemed full of the vigor of Spring, and were leaping at the thought of longer days, warmer temperatures, and perhaps summer vacation.

RICHLAND COUNTY - After a more ‘wintry’ winter than the Driftless Region has seen in a few years, the beautiful spring evening on Monday, March 20, proved irresistible to about 60 intrepid souls who turned out to celebrate the beginning of Spring at the Frank’s Hill effigy mounds site.

All three members of the Three Eagles Foundation board were on hand to help participants enjoy the moment, hear stories about the effigy mounds, and learn about the legacy of Frank Shadewald, who was instrumental in protecting the site.

DAVE MARTIN, president of the Three Eagles Foundation, told members of the public present about Frank Shadewald's work to protect the effigy mounds site into perpetuity.

FH Spring Equinox_Dave Martin remembers Frank Shadewald — DAVE MARTIN, president of the Three Eagles Foundation, told members of the public present about Frank Shadewald's work to protect the effigy mounds site into perpetuity.

Three Eagles Foundation president Dave Martin told the group about how Shadewald had acted to preserve and protect the mounds, a legacy Three Eagles Foundation carries forward to this day. The crowd sang happy birthday for Martin, who had recently marked his 92nd birthday.

Three Eagles Foundation board member Mark Cupp leads the group in a spring prayer at the Blessing Tree.

FH spring equinox_a spring prayer — Three Eagles Foundation board member Mark Cupp leads the group in a spring prayer at the Blessing Tree.

Board member Mark Cupp conducted a tour of the mounds for participants, explaining what each mound represents. He paused early in the tour at a venerable old cedear tree – the Blessing Tree – to lead the group in a Spring Prayer.

The Three Eagles Foundation welcomed people for the sunset on Monday, March 20, and also the sunrise on Tuesday, March 21.

Spring formally began at 4:24 p.m. (CDT) on March 20, followed by the first sunset of spring.

Frank’s Hill is on the National Register of Historic Places. A group of unique effigy mounds is situated on Hill East where the observances will occur. The mounds are thought to have been built a thousand or more years ago by the people of the Late Woodland Tradition, recognized by many as the ancestors of the modern Ho-Chunk Nation.

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