Wolf Plains
Encyclopedia
The Wolf Plains Group is a Late Adena culture
group of 30 earthworks
including 22 conical mounds and nine circular enclosures. The Plains
, originally known as Wolf's Plains, located a few miles to the northwest of Athens, is a relatively flat terrace in an area of hilly terrain in southeastern Ohio’s Hocking River
valley. The terrace was formed by glacial outwash coming down the Hocking River
, which became dammed at The Plains and found a new outlet to the northeast, leaving the terrace in place.
The Wolf Plains Group was featured in Ephraim George Squier
and Edwin Hamilton Davis
's landmark publication Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
in 1848. Their finished drawing was based on a sketch from 1836 by S. P. Hildreth, and contains some inaccuracies. Some of the clusters of mounds are rotated relative to their actual position, some are missing, and some are misplaced. The Archaeological Conservancy
purchased one of the remaining earthworks, the Dorr 2 Mound, in 2008 using emergency POINT funds, and has plans to purchase more as funds become available. The majority of the remaining earthworks in the complex are privately owned and are threatened with destruction as The Plains community expands. The Wolf Plains were added to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 31, 1974; at that time, 25 earthworks remained in good enough condition to qualify as contributing properties
.
Adena culture
The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system...
group of 30 earthworks
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
including 22 conical mounds and nine circular enclosures. The Plains
The Plains, Ohio
The Plains is a census-designated place in Athens County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,931 at the 2000 census.-Geography:The Plains is located at ....
, originally known as Wolf's Plains, located a few miles to the northwest of Athens, is a relatively flat terrace in an area of hilly terrain in southeastern Ohio’s Hocking River
Hocking River
The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...
valley. The terrace was formed by glacial outwash coming down the Hocking River
Hocking River
The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...
, which became dammed at The Plains and found a new outlet to the northeast, leaving the terrace in place.
The Wolf Plains Group was featured in Ephraim George Squier
E. G. Squier
Ephraim George Squier was an American archaeologist and newspaper editor.-Biography:He was born in Bethlehem, New York, the son of a minister of English heritage and his Palatine German wife. In early youth he worked on a farm, attended and taught school, studied engineering, and became interested...
and Edwin Hamilton Davis
Edwin Hamilton Davis
Edwin Hamilton Davis was an American archaeologist and physician who did pioneering investigations of the mound relics in the Mississippi Valley.-Medical career:...
's landmark publication Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley by Americans Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis is a landmark in American scientific research, the study of the prehistoric Mound builders of North America, and the early development of archaeology...
in 1848. Their finished drawing was based on a sketch from 1836 by S. P. Hildreth, and contains some inaccuracies. Some of the clusters of mounds are rotated relative to their actual position, some are missing, and some are misplaced. The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy is a 5013 non-profit organization that acquires and preserves archaeological sites in the United States. Whereas nearly every other nation protects all archaeological sites within its borders as part of its national patrimony, in the United States archaeological...
purchased one of the remaining earthworks, the Dorr 2 Mound, in 2008 using emergency POINT funds, and has plans to purchase more as funds become available. The majority of the remaining earthworks in the complex are privately owned and are threatened with destruction as The Plains community expands. The Wolf Plains were added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 31, 1974; at that time, 25 earthworks remained in good enough condition to qualify as contributing properties
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
.