By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Whereas the earth mounds in the northeastern part of the State of Iowa known as the Effigy Mounds are of great scientific interest because of the variety of their forms, which include animal effigy, bird effigy, conical, and linear types, illustrative of a significant phase of the mound-building culture of the prehistoric American Indians; and
Whereas the Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings, and Monuments at its meeting held October 28-30, 1941 declared the Effigy Mounds to be of national scientific importance; and
Whereas the State of Iowa has acquired title to 1,204.39 acres of land containing these unusual objects, and has conveyed 1,000 acres thereof to the United States as a donation for national-monument purposes, such conveyance having been accepted on behalf of the United States by the Acting Director of the National Park Service on August 31, 1949; and
Whereas it is contemplated that the State of Iowa will convey the remaining 204.39 acres of such land to the United States for national monument purposes in the near future; and
Whereas it appears that it would be in the public interest to set aside and reserve the said land as a national monument as hereinafter indicated:
Now, Therefore, I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by section 2 of the act of June 8, 1906, 34 Stat. 225 (16 U.S.C. 431), do proclaim that, subject to all valid existing rights, the lands within the following-described boundaries and shown on the diagram hereto attached and forming a part hereof which belong to the United States are hereby reserved and established as a national monument, to be known as the Effigy Mounds National Monument; and that the lands within such boundaries which do not now belong to the United States shall become a part of such monument upon the acquisition of title thereto by the United States:
FIFTH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN
T. 96 N., R. 3 W., Allamakee County
T. 95 N., R. 3 W., Clayton County
Beginning at the point where the West line of the Right-of-Way of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad intersects the North line of Sec. 27 of said T. 96 N.;
Thence southerly along said West line of the Railroad Right-of-Way through said Sec. 27 and part of Sec. 34 of said T. 96 N. to the North line of the Right-of-Way of Iowa Primary Highway No. 13 in Government Lot 3 of said Sec. 34;
Thence westerly along said North line of the Highway Right-of-Way through said Sec. 34 to the West line thereof;
Thence northerly along said Section line to the Southeast corner of the North Half of the Northeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter (N 1/2NE 1/4 NE 1/4) of Sec. 33 of said T. 96 N.;
Thence westerly along the South line of said North Half of the Northeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter (N 1/2 NE 1/4 NE 1/4) to said North line of the Highway Right-of-Way;
Thence northerly along said North line of the Highway Right-of-Way to the North line of said Sec. 33;
Thence easterly along said Section line to the Southwest corner of said Sec. 27;
Thence northerly along the West line of said Sec. 27, N. 0 degrees 07' E., 594.27 ft.;
Thence N. 68 degrees 54' E., 186.28 ft.;
Thence N. 58 degrees 08' E., 135.01 ft.;
Thence S. 77 degrees 11' E., 77.79 ft.;
Thence N. 62 degrees 15' E., 218.66 ft.;
Thence N. 57 degrees 14' E., 168.48 ft.;
Thence N. 62 degrees 34' E., 430.06 ft.;
Thence N. 50 degrees 06' E., 142.68 ft.;
Thence N. 24 degrees 30' E., 319.20 ft. to a point on the East line of the West Half of the Southwest Quarter (W 1/2 SW 1/4) of said Sec. 27 and N. 0 degrees 16 1/2' W., 1477.65 ft. from the Southeast corner of said West Half of the Southwest Quarter (W 1/2 SW 1/4);
Thence along said East line N. 0 degrees 16 1/2' W., 947.40 ft.;
Thence N. 89 degrees 43 1/2' E., 367.08 ft.;
Thence N. 0 degrees 16 1/2' W., 445.00 ft.;
Thence S. 89 degrees 43 1/2' W., 367.08 ft. to a point on the West line of the Southeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter (SE 1/4 NW 1/4) of said Sec. 27;
Thence northerly along the West line of the Southeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter (SE 1/4 NW 1/4) and Government Lot 1 of said Sec. 27 to the North line of Sec. 27;
Thence easterly along the North line of Sec. 27 to the point of beginning.
Also, beginning at a point where the South line of the North Half (N 1/2) of Government Lot 1 of Sec. 10 in said T. 95 N. intersects the West line of the Right-of-Way of Iowa Primary Highway No. 13;
Thence westerly along said South line of the North Half (N 1/2) of Government Lot 1 to the West line thereof;
Thence northerly along said West line of Government Lot 1 to a point S. 0 degrees 39 1/2' E., 50 ft. from the Northwest corner thereof;
Thence along a straight line to a point on the North line of said Sec. 10 and N. 86 degrees 18 1/2' W., 150 ft. from said Northwest corner of Government Lot 1;
Thence westerly along the said North line of Sec. 10 to the Northwest corner thereof;
Thence northerly along the West line of Sec. 3 of said T. 95 N., to the Northwest corner thereof;
Thence westerly along the South line of Sec. 33 of said T. 96 N., to the Southwest corner of the East Half of the Southeast Quarter (E 1/2 SE 1/4) thereof;
Thence northerly along the West line of said East Half of the Southeast Quarter (E 1/2 SE 1/4) to the Southeast corner of the Northwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter (NW 1/4 SE 1/4) of said Sec. 33;
Thence westerly along the South line of said Northwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter (NW 1/4 SE 1/4) to the Southwest corner thereof;
Thence northerly along the West line of said Northwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter (NW 1/4 SE 1/4) to the center of said Sec. 33;
Thence easterly along the Quarter (1/4) line of said Sec. 33 to the East Quarter (1/4) corner thereof;
Thence northerly along the West line of said Sec. 34 to the South line of the said Highway Right-of-Way;
Thence easterly and southerly along the South and West line of said Highway Right-of-Way through said Secs. 34, 3, and the North Half (N 1/ 2) of Government Lot 1 of Sec. 10 to the point of beginning.
The small area in Lot 3, Sec. 34, T. 96 N., R. 3 W., lying south of the middle of Yellow River and between the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad Right-of-Way line and the east Right-of-Way line of the Iowa Primary Highway No. 13 is not intended to be included in this description.
The area as described contains in the aggregate 1,204.39 acres, more or less.
Warning is hereby expressly given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of this monument, and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.
The Director of the National Park Service, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, shall have the supervision, protection, management, and control of this monument as provided in the act of Congress entitled "An act to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes," approved August 25, 1916, 39 Stat. 535 (16 U.S.C. 1-3), and acts supplementary thereto or amendatory thereof.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
DONE at the City of Washington this 25th day of October in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-fourth.
HARRY S. TRUMAN
By the President:
DEAN ACHESON
Secretary of State
Harry S Truman, Proclamation 2860—Establishing the Effigy Mounds National Monument Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/277360