Wisconsin

Father and son preserve the legacy of Wisconsin’s effigy mounds

Published

6 months ago

May 23, 2024

Father and son preserve the legacy of Wisconsin’s effigy mounds

When Ho-Chunk elder Ritchie Brown started traveling around Wisconsin to see effigy mounds decades ago, he couldn’t have been in a better place.

“Wisconsin is unique in that we’re about the only place in the country that has effigy mounds,” Brown said in a recent interview on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”

Effigy mounds are constructions of raised earth built by Indigenous peoples of the region likely between A.D. 750 and 1200. While some of these mounds are burial sites, others serve ceremonial purposes.

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Mounds can have linear or organic shapes, but what makes effigy mounds unique is that they often take the form of different animals or spiritual entities.

“I’ve seen fox mounds, otter mounds, eagle mounds, bear mounds,” Brown said. “You name it, they’re out there.”

Brown took an interest in the mounds in the late 1980s after visiting the farm of the late Frank Shadewald in Muscoda. Shadewald had asked for help identifying unique shapes of raised earth he’d found on his property, and Brown came to investigate as a manager at the Ho-Chunk Department of Natural Resources.

“When I first started surveying these and looking at all these mounds, I was really interested and fascinated,” Brown said. “But I didn’t know half the story then.”

Since then, Brown has spent decades traveling all over Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and even Canada to identify, survey and mark the mounds, which hold special significance to the Ho-Chunk Nation and other tribes.

Ritchie and Casey Brown at Wisconsin Riverside Restaurant in Spring Green for the Ho-Chunk Nation Panfish Tournament, May 2023. Photo courtesy of Casey Brown

And as often as he could, he took his son, Casey, along for the ride.

“I’ve been following (my dad) around since I was a little kid,” Casey said. “Other kids used to say, ‘Yeah, I played baseball with my dad or built things,’ but what we were doing was very different.”

Casey admits he didn’t fully appreciate the significance of the mounds when he was younger.

“I knew that it was important and that we were tromping around the woods for some reason,” he said. “As I’ve grown older, the mounds mean different things to me.”

After clinching a Midwest Regional Emmy last year, Casey is now working on a documentary film about the mounds and his father’s work.

Rather than focusing on the archaeology of the mounds, he wants to bring an Indigenous perspective to the project. For Casey, that means moving through the seasons because of how the visual experience and cultural meaning of the mounds changes throughout the year.

“A lot of these sites are aligned with different times,” the elder Brown explains. “And the interesting part about that is the stories that go with them.”

The father-son duo indeed have many stories to share, from traveling to the mounds with Ho-Chunk traditional court leaders on a casino bus to being at a mound site during a particularly spectacular sunset.

“The majesty of the mounds is hard to transfer just by a picture or even a film or video,” Casey said.

Despite that, he hopes the documentary will bring some of the experience to viewers and educate people about what went into creating these earthworks, as he calls them.

Ritchie and Casey’s latest work has taken them back to Muscoda, where they recently marked two mounds, including a rare and culturally significant ghost eagle that spans around 700 feet.

Aerial image of an effigy mound outlined in chalk in the shape of an eagle with a wide wingspan — Drone photo of ghost eagle mound in Muscoda, Wisconsin, November 2023. *Photo by Austin Williamson*

This moment has been a long time in the making.

“(My dad) has been waiting decades to mark these mounds,” Casey wrote in a Facebook post.

It can take a long time to do this survey work because the mounds are often found on the private property of non-Native farmers and landowners. Some of these landowners are very willing to work with the Browns and their team, but in other cases, it can be challenging to get direct access to the mounds for marking them or even filming them.

Casey says the work is about building relationships. Some of the farming families have been there for generations.

“They have their own stories now,” he said. “And those are just as important.”

For both Casey and his father, they see themselves as caretakers of the mounds, to preserve their history and legacy for current and future generations.

“We’re Bear Clan, so we take care of the Earth,” Casey explained.

“I want to be able to share this stuff with the younger generation,” the elder Brown said. “They need something to hang on to just to guide them through everything that’s going on today.”

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Wisconsin

Gas prices drop lower during busy holiday travel season in Wisconsin

Published

2 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

Gas prices drop lower during busy holiday travel season in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Gas prices are the cheapest they’ve been since the pandemic, just as people prepare to travel for the holidays.

According to AAA Wisconsin, the average gas prices is $2.86 per gallon in the state, a new low since 2020.

”We’ve had so many disruptions in the last four to five years between Covid and then the Ukraine conflict that has sent prices either far down or bringing them to historic highs,” AAA Director of Public Affairs Nick Jarmusz said. “We kind of forget what normal is.”

He said the low cost at the pump is a result of peak summer travel season ending, an even supply and demand for fuel and fewer global crises.

”Right now we’re in a pretty favorable balance between lower demand and pretty plentiful supply and no real disruptions to speak of,” he said.

Gas prices drop lower during busy holiday travel season(Marcus Aarsvold)

People can save more money at the pump if they drive the speed limit.

”By sticking closer to the speed limit, avoiding aggressive driving in situations, you can actually increase your fuel efficiency by about 40% or up to 40%,” Jarmusz said. “Which can add up to pretty significant savings.”

If trends continue, he also said prices might drop even more. ”Really, I would not be surprised to see these prices continue to go down,” Jarmusz said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the lowest prices we’ll see this year yet.”

According to AAA the best times to travel before Thanksgiving on Thursday is in the morning hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Roads will be busiest in the afternoons.

Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.

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Wisconsin

Game 12 Wisconsin football two-deep for Minnesota Gophers game Nov. 29 at Camp Randall Stadium

Published

10 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Game 12 Wisconsin football two-deep for Minnesota Gophers game Nov. 29 at Camp Randall Stadium

MADISON – A look at the unofficial two-deep for the Wisconsin football team heading into its game against Minnesota at 11 a.m. Friday at Camp Randall Stadium.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

1 – Braedyn Locke, 6-1, 205, redshirt-soph.

2 – Mabrey Mettauer, 6-4, 230, fr.

Running back

1 – Tawee Walker, 5-9, 218, sr.

2 – Darrion Dupree, 5-10, 205, fr.

Receiver

1 – Bryson Green, 6-3, 213, sr.

2 – C.J. Williams, 6-2, 196, jr.

Receiver

1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.

2 – Quincy Burroughs, 6-2, 212, r-soph.

Slot recever

1 – Will Pauling, 5-10, 187, r-jr.

2 – Trech Kekahuna, 5-10, 187, r-fr.

Tight end

1 – Riley Nowakowski, 6-1, 243, r-sr.

2 – Tucker Ashcraft, 6-5, 255, soph.

Left tackle

1 – Jack Nelson, 6-7, 316, sr.

2 – Barrett Nelson, 6-6, 302, r-soph.

Left guard

1 – Joe Brunner, 6-5, 313- r-soph.

2. – James Durand, 6-5, 305, r-fr.

Center

1 – Jake Renfro, 6-3, 302, r-sr.

2. – Kerry Kodanko, 6-2, 308, r-sr.

Right guard

1 – Joe Huber, 6-5, 310, r-sr.

2 – JP Benzschawel, 6-6, 312, r-jr.

Right tackle

1 – Riley Mahlman, 6-8, 308, r-jr.

2 – Kevin Heywood, 6-8, 325, fr.

DEFENSE

Line

1 – Ben Barten, 6-5, 308, r-sr.

2 – Elijah Hills, 6-3, 282, sr.

Line

1 – Curt Neal, 6-0, 290, r-soph.

2 – Cade McDonald, 6-6, 285, r-sr.

Outside linebacker

1 – Darryl Peterson, 6-1, 248, r-jr.

2 – Aaron Witt, 6-6, 247, r-jr.

Inside linebacker

1 – Jake Chaney, 5-11, 233, sr.

2 – Tackett Curtis, 6-2, 228, soph.

Inside linebacker

1 – Christian Alliegro, 6-4, 240, soph.

2 – Jaheim Thomas, 6-4, 245, r-sr.

Outside linebacker

1 – Leon Lowery, 6-3, 252, r-sr.

2 – Sebastian Cheeks, 6-3, 230, r-soph., or John Pius, 6-4, 250, r-sr.

Cornerback

1 – Ricardo Hallman, 5-10, 185, r-jr.

2 – R.J. Delancy III, 5-11, 193, r-sr., or Jonas Duclona, 5-10, 190, soph.

Strong safety

1 – Hunter Wohler, 6-2, 218, sr.

2 – Owen Arnett, 5-11, 210, r-jr.

Free safety

1 – Preston Zachman, 6-1, 212, r-sr.

2 – Austin Brown, 6-1, 210, jr.

Cornerback

1 – Nyzier Fourqurean, 6-1, 190, r-sr.

2 – R.J. Delancy, 5-11, 193, r-sr., or Xavier Lucas, 6-2, 198, fr.

Nickel back

1 – Austin Brown, 6-1, 210, jr.

2 – Max Lofy, 5-10, 188, r-sr.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter

1 – Atticus Bertrams, 6-3, 225, soph.

2 – Gavin Meyers, 6-1, 198, r-sr.

Field goal kicker

1 – Nathanial Vakos, 6-1, 205, jr.

2 – Gavin Lahm, 6-0, 213, jr.

Kickoffs

1 – Gavin Lahm, 6-10, 213, jr.

2 – Nathanial Vakos, 6-1, 205, jr.

Long snapper

1 – Cayson Pfeiffer, 6-0, 205, sr.

2 – Duncan McKinley, 6-2, 222, r-sr.

Holder

1 – Gavin Meyers, 6-1, 198, r-sr.

2 – Atticus Bertrams, 6-2, 225, soph.

Punt returner

1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.

2 – Hunter Wohler, 6-2, 218, sr.

Kickoff returner

1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.

2 – Trech Kekahuna, 5-10, 197, r-fr.

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Wisconsin

Where Wisconsin's class of 2025 ranks nationally after big-time addition of QB Carter Smith

Published

18 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Where Wisconsin's class of 2025 ranks nationally after big-time addition of QB Carter Smith

Wisconsin football’s recruiting performance is far better than the current on-field product, to say the least.

Luke Fickell’s team has now lost four straight games after Saturday’s 44-25 defeat at Nebraska. It is just 5-6 on the season and 3-5 in Big Ten play, desperately needing a season-closing victory over Minnesota to clinch bowl eligibility.

There is more context behind that on-field performance, including the recent firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo and historic blowout losses to rivals Iowa and Nebraska sandwiching hard-fought losses to top-ranked teams. That context doesn’t help the general trend of poor play.

But for those still optimistic about the Badgers’ future under Luke Fickell, the biggest calling card is his recruiting performance.

Wisconsin made headlines on Sunday when it landed a commitment from four-star class of 2025 quarterback Carter Smith. Smith is ranked as 247Sports’ No. 15 quarterback in the class and No. 164 overall player. Beating Florida State for his commitment was a statement for Fickell and his staff — even doing so after firing Longo just seven days earlier.

The addition of Smith brings Wisconsin’s class of 2025 to 25 total commitments — eight of which coming from blue-chip players. Notably, it rose the group four spots up to No. 21 in 247Sports’ national rankings.

The Badgers now boast the eighth-highest-rated class in the Big Ten, trailing just Ohio State (No. 2 overall), Oregon (No. 8), Michigan (No. 9), USC (No. 11), Penn State (No. 15), Washington (No. 18) and Nebraska (No. 20). The No. 21 ranking is an impressive follow-up after Luke Fickell finished the 2024 class with 247Sports’ No. 25 overall class and a Blue-Chip Ratio of 50%.

Smith’s addition continues a growing debate about how to weigh Wisconsin’s on-field struggles with its recruiting success. In reality, the 2025 football season will be somewhat defined by the performance of the 2024 recruiting class and another crop of transfers. If that strong recruiting doesn’t lead to improved on-field play, the clock may start ticking on his tenure.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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