Ocheyedan Mound State Preserve

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State Preserves

Ocheyedan Mound (pronounced O-cheé-den) is a large glacial hill known as a “kame.” The 24-acre preserve containing a portion of this large landform is located one mile south of Ocheyedan in eastern Osceola County. 

The Shuttleworth family purchased a 160-acre farm containing the mound in 1909. They donated the tract containing the mound to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation in 1983. 

In 1984 the mound was dedicated as a geological state preserve. Ownership was then transferred to the Osceola County Conservation Board. 

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About the Land

Located on the western edge of the Des Moines Lobe landform region, Ocheyedan Mound is a kame which was formed during melting of the Wisconsin glacier some 12,000 years ago. It lies on the Bemis end moraine, a region of hilly ground that marks the farthest western advance of the Des Moines Lobe ice sheet into north-­central Iowa. 

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Directions

  1. From the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 86 on the west side of the town of Spirit Lake, take Highway 9 west about 18 miles to County Road L58 (Truman Avenue) (watch for signs).
  2.  Turn south (left) and go through the town of Ocheyedan to 170th Street (about 2 miles). 
  3. Turn east (left) and go 1 mile to the preserve on the north side of the road (sign: Ocheyedan Mound). 
  4. From Spirit Lake, take Highway 9 west about 21 miles to County Road L58 (Truman Avenue) (watch for signs). 
  5. Turn south and go through the town of Ocheyedan to 170th Street (about 2-miles). 
  6. Turn east and go 1 mile to the preserve on the north side of the road (sign: Ocheyedan Mound).
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Geology

Kames are large, jutting masses of sand, gravel, and small boulders that were deposited by glacial meltwater streams pouring off the glacier, heaping dirt and stones to form a mound.

Rocks of various sizes and colors are strangely intermingled on this mound, among them:

  • Porphyry
  • Granite
  • Sioux quartzite
  • Limestone

This mound covers nearly 40 acres extending northeast to southwest over about a third of a mile. Its width averages several hundred yards wide, narrowing in places to only a few yards. 

With its summit 175 feet above the floodplain of the Ocheyedan River and 1,613 feet above sea level, Ocheyedan Mound is one of the highest points in Iowa. “Hawkeye Point,” located about four miles northeast of Sibley, is the state’s highest elevation at 1,670 feet above sea level. 

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History

The Sioux Indians were frequent visitors to the mound. They referred to the mound as “Acheya” or “Akicheya,” meaning “the spot where they cry.” Pioneer settlers used it as a landmark. Later, it became popular for picnics, winter sliding, toboggan parties, and skiing.

The Stopsack family were tenants of the Shuttleworth farm from 1932 until the early 1980s. They owned a black horse named “Old Rich” who was a familiar figure atop the mound for over three decades. Today the mound is maintained as a natural area and is used as an outdoor classroom. 

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Plants

Vegetation on the mound is slowly reverting to native grasses and flowers, including:

  • Little bluestem
  • Sideoats grama
  • Blue grama
  • Junegrass 

In spring, hoary puccoon, white camass, and wild strawberry bloom.

 In summer: 

  • A large population of milk vetches
  • Prairie violet
  • Prairie onion
  • Butterfly weed
  • Purple prairie clover
  • White prairie clover
  • Black-eyed Susan
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Visitor Information

Other state preserves in the vicinity include Silver Lake Fen, Freda Haffner Kettlehole, and Cayler Prairie.

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