Smith Park marks the northern limit of a large group of Native American burial mounds that once extended across the southeast shore of Doty Island. Three effigy mounds are preserved there. The mounds were built between AD 700 and AD 1100 by members of the Effigy Mound culture. Effigy mounds were used both as burial places and as places where ceremonies were conducted. The mounds in Smith Park represent Long-tailed Water Spirits prominent in Native American belief systems.