Cave Drawings, Effigy Mounds, 1832 Black Hawk War

Today we visited the Effigy Mounds National Monument in McGregor, Iowa and saw rock art at Larsen Cave, on the Larsen Farm in Eastman, WI. They were about an hour south of La Crosse. We watched a video on the mounds at  the welcome center at the Effigy Mounds.  They have found mounds from New York to Iowa, and then south to New Mexico.  There is a beautiful, but long and steep trail to see the various types and sizes of mounds.  The largest one is just before a panoramic view overlooking the Mississippi River.  Some of the mounds are in the shape of a bear, probably to represent the Bear Clan, some in the shape of birds, and others are conical shaped.  More than half of the mounds in the low lying area were plowed over when the settlers moved here.   There are no artifacts that indicate there were villages near by.  As we stood at Fire Point, overlooking the Mississippi River,  Dr. Theler discussed the Pearl Rush at the beginning of the 20th Century that depleted the clams.  Mussels were later introduced to this section of the river.  Then we rode a short way to the Larsen Cave, where we walked through the corn fields and then down a treacherous path.  But it was well worth the effort.  It was 98 degrees, with a heat index of 102, but inside the cave it was 50 degrees - what a wonderful respite!  The picture above is very hard to seek, but if you look carefully you will see a deer facing left.  There were other drawings of crudely drawn birds and human arms.  The paintings were made with a red ocher dye.  The inside top was black from magnesium leaching out and parts of the walls were red from the iron when it hits air and water and rusts, also called rust oxidize. On our way home we stopped at the Historical Marker for the 1832 Black Hawk War, also known as the Battle of Bad Axe,  on August 1st & 2nd.  Many Sauk died of starvation on their escape through the valley to the Mississippi River.  Approximately 150 men, women, and children were massacred at this site.  Black Hawk escaped, but was later captured in Iowa by the Ho-Chunk Indians and turned over to American authorities.  When you see the mounds, the cave art, and this battle site, it brings alive all that we have read about while studying Native Americans.  Why do you think the settlers plowed the Effigy Mounds without any consideration for these sacred lands?