Indian Village State Preserve

Indian Village State Preserve near Sutherland in northwestern Iowa protects the Indian Village Site, a prehistoric fortified Mill Creek culture settlement on a terrace above Waterman Creek. Archaeological evidence indicates the village was occupied for roughly 300 years around 1200 CE. A wooden stockade enclosed about 20 partially subterranean lodges, entered through tunnels and equipped with fireplaces and storage pits. State acquisition in 1937 and later professional excavations, especially in 1965, clarified the village’s layout and construction. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a state preserve in 1968, it remains one of Iowa’s notable Mill Creek culture sites.

Iowa · United States