The Gottschall Rockshelter: an Archaeological Mystery

Hidden in a small valley in southwestern Wisconsin, the Gottschall Rockshelter is a unique example of an archaeological mystery. Here the ancestors of the present-day Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) American Indians created a remarkable series of pictographic paintings of the legend of Red Horn, a reincarnation of a primordial deity. Adapting a natural rock formation for use as a possible shrine, these skilled artists of about 900--1,000 A.D. left a visual representation that continues to testify to their deeply held spiritual beliefs. The sensational discovery of a sandstone sculpture of a human head adds to the shelter's archaeological richness. The Gottschall Rockshelter is the first full-length study of the ongoing investigation of a spectacular North American site and its ancient cultural records.