Ocheyedan, Iowa
"Home of the Mound"
Few of
Iowa's natural features have excited so much curiosity as the Ocheyedan Mound in northwest
Iowa's lakes region.
Just southeast of the town of Ocheyedan, the Mound rises an impressive 170 feet above
the surrounding flood plain. It is one of the highest points in Iowa--1655 feet above sea
level. Only two miles south of highway nine, the Mound is reached by a concrete and
blacktop road. The site itself lies almost next to the road, and is readily accessible to
visitors.
The Ocheyedan Mound is one of the most beautiful hills in the northwest part of the
state and its outline can be seen for miles in all directions. The region along the
Ocheyedan river flood plain is made up of rolling hills. Some are in groups, With a
distinctive arrangement. Others are isolated somewhat-the Mound is the most striking
example of this.
General trend of the Mound is northeast and southwest. Its extreme length is only about
one third of a mile. Portions of its narrow summit are but a few yards wide.
It is long thought that the Mound was an Indian burying ground. This was disproved when
geologists investigated and found that it was a kame, of glacial origin. Kames are hills
and ridges of stratified drift deposited by glaciers at the mouths of ice tunnels or ice
channels, and in angles of ice. The Mound was formed during the recession of the Wisconsin
ice sheet, the last glacier to invade Iowa, many thousands of years ago.
The material making up the Mound is chiefly sand and gravel with small boulders of
various types, including rocks of many different kinds. There are granites, Sioux
quartzite and limestone.
The esthetic value of such beautiful and interesting geological phenomena as the
Ocheyedan Mound should be appreciated by our people, and every effort should be made to
prevent their destruction. Already the Ocheyedan Mound has been somewhat marred by the
removal from its summit sand and gravel which was used for commercial purposes. To be
sure, the Mound is valuable for the many tons of material that might be taken from it, but
far greater value is it to the state as a beauty spot, a landmark, which should be
conserved for future generations just as zealously as we should conserve our material
resources.
There is a tradition that the Indians used the Mound as an observation point and as a
place of mourning. White men have used it as a guide across the prairies, and it is now
popular for picnics, steak fries, fireworks displays and winter sliding, toboggan parties
and skiing.
It is assumed that the highest point yet remains in Osceola county. Since discovering
in 1971 that the Mound was no longer the highest point, two or three points (east, north
and west of Sibley, have been brought forth as contenders for the highest elevation above
sea level. The U. S. Geodetic Survey determined that a point on the Merrel Sterler farm
north of Sibley is 1670 feet and so marked on maps the new location. That area is now
called Hawkeye Point.
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