Wyalusing State Park

Wyalusing State Park
Wisconsin State Park
Wyalusing State Park
Country United States
State Wisconsin
County Grant
Location Wyalusing
 - coordinates 42°58′47″N 91°6′31″W / 42.97972°N 91.10861°W / 42.97972; -91.10861Coordinates: 42°58′47″N 91°6′31″W / 42.97972°N 91.10861°W / 42.97972; -91.10861
Area 2,628 acres (1,064 ha)
Founded 1917
Management Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Designated 1973
IUCN category V - Protected Landscape/Seascape
Website: Wyalusing State Park

Wyalusing State Park /w.əˈlsɪŋ/ is a 2,628-acre (1,064 ha) Wisconsin state park at the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers in the town of Wyalusing, just south of Prairie du Chien. Wyalusing means "home of the warrior" in the Lenape language spoken by Munsee-Delaware Indians who settled in the area in the 19th century after being displaced from farther east. 500-foot-high (150 m) bluffs dotted with prehistoric Indian mounds look out over the river valleys. Two park resources have been recognized nationally: the Wyalusing Hardwood Forest is a National Natural Landmark and the Wyalusing State Park Mounds Archaeological District is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geology

The park is in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, a portion of territory that remained ice free during the last ice age, while land to the east and west was crushed by glaciers. The high bluffs along the Mississippi River and the large deep canyon of the Wisconsin River are evidence of glacial meltwaters reshaping this region.

Media related to Wyalusing State Park at Wikimedia Commons

Wyalusing State Park seen from the west
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.