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Shedd Aquarium

Casper Bluff Land & Water Reserve

870 S. Pilot Knob Rd., Galena, IL 61036

Bird & Eagle Watching

Featuring Native American archaeology, this preserve is situated on the scenic Mississippi River Bluffs.

This reserve is managed by the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation. It offers hiking trails, bird watching, sightseeing, Native American archaeology, and much more on 85 acres of scenic Mississippi River bluffs. Not only does Casper Bluff boast some of the most commanding views of the Mississippi River and its backwater sloughs, but it is also an archaeologically significant site.

The 85-acre site contains the Aiken Mound Group, named for the nearby community of Aiken. Knowledge of these mounds stems from 1900, when William Baker Nickerson, an amateur archaeologist who worked for the railroads, documented 51 mounds at this location: 38 long, wall-like structures, 12 conical mounds, and one Thunderbird effigy. Nickerson also observed an earth ellipse or hut-ring and two circular depressions. While the Effigy Mound peoples are thought to have abandoned the region after A.D. 1000, as late as 1875 members of the Ho-Chunk Nation performed ceremonies in the vicinity of Aiken Mounds and constructed a burial mound for the son of their leader, Green Blanket. This burial site is thought to be located one mile east of the reserve within the bottomlands of Small Pox Creek. 

What's happening nearby...

40th Annual Nouveau Parade & Celebration

Galena Cellars Wine Tasting Room •  Nov 22 @ 11AM

Galena Cellars celebrates the release of the 2024 Nouveau wine - The 40th Annual Celebration!

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Galena Holiday Kickoff!

Nov 30 @ 5PM

Join in welcoming Santa to town to kick off the holiday season in Galena!

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Galena Holidaze Festival

Green Street Plaza  •  Dec 07 @ 11PM

The Galena Holidaze Festival is bringing the magic of Christmastime to Galena, Illinois.

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