CAHOKIAMOUNDSS TAT E PA R K

C O L L I N S V I L L E . I L L I N C I S

Monks Mound-Aerial view of the largestprehistoric Indian mound in North America

Photographs courtesy lllinois State Museum

CAHOKIA MOUNDS STATE PARK conta insthe remains of the 'centra l d is t r ic t o f the largestprehistor ic Indian town in the Uni ted States"The park is in Madison and St . Cla i r count ies,be tween Eas t S t . Lou i s and Co l l i nsv i l l e . l t can bereached by ln ter State Highway 55-70, wi the x i t s a t l l l i n o i s 1 5 7 a n d 1 1 1 , o r a l o n g U . S . 4 0 .After many years of effort by interested people,the State bought 143 acres in 1925. Lateraddi t ions have brought the park area up to 595acres. Cahokia Mounds Park is now dedicatedas a ma jor in terpret ive v is i tor center for thel l l i no i s Depa r tmen t o f Conse rva t i on .

The s i te is named for the h is tor ic t r ibe ofCahok ia I nd ians o f t he l l l i n i na t i on who hun tedin th is area when the French arr ived, but thei rre lat ionshio to the ear l ier inhabi tants is notc lear . The real name of the s i te , and even thelanguage spoken by i ts bui lders is unknown,al though they were def in i te ly Amer ican Indians.There was much speculat ion about the moundsdur ing the last century, and the p ioneer ing workof the 192O's, but the real task of excavat ionbegan in 1960, wi th the Federal F l ighway salvageprogram/ and has cont inued at an acceleratedp a c e e v e r s i n c e . S i x u n i v e r s i t i e s a n d t w omuseums have contr ibuted to th is ef for t , largelyunde r t he ausp i ces o f t he l l l i no i s A rchaeo log i ca lSurvey and the Conservation Department.

Since the t rue name of these ear ly Indiansi s n o t k n o w n , t h e y h a v e b e e n n a m e d"M I SS I SS I PP lAN" by a rchaeo log i s t s , because

their cul ture f i rst appeared along the great r iverbe tween St . Lou is and Memphis . F rom are la t i ve ly s imp le base o f hunt ing and garden ing ,the Mississippians developed large scale cornagricul ture. From l iv ing in the smal l scatteredv i I lages of their Woodland ancestors, theydeveloped large vi l lages and then towns whichwere the cap i to l o f v i l lages , wh i le t r iba l e lderswere replaced with pol i t ical leaders able to ordergreat numbers of men in the construct ion ofpu b I i c works . Together w i th th is po l i t i ca levo lu t ion was a re l ig ious deve lopment wh ichproduced the mounds, plazas and art , which arefound today in the ground.

There are st i l l many quest ions about thedevelopment of this cu l ture, and as Cahokiap layed an impor tan t , poss ib ly the impor tan t ro lein this development, many of the answers havebeen and wi l l be found there. At Cahokia. a new

fr'ir 'I

+1

t

Sheil gorget.

An artist's reconstruction of ancient Cahokia.

F f i t ' r { .

,i" '#'i [ *uT

t nsEST

t r > .

€ S ,

bel t n

10.r l e

ter95:ed:he

oflede i r1otfheVf i ,

ns.rds:rkiontgetedW Oe lyca i

anse duse

the i r cu l tu re f i rs t appeared a long the grea t r i verbe tween St . Lou is and Memphis . F rom are la t i ve ly s imp le base o f hunt ing and garden ing ,the Miss iss ipp ians deve loped la rge sca le cornagr icu l tu re . From l i v ing in the smal l sca t te redv i I lages o f the i r Wood land ances tors , theydeve loped la rge v i l lages and then towns wh ichwere the cap i to l o f v i l lages , wh i le t r iba l e lderswere rep laced w i th po l i t i ca l leaders ab le to o rdergrea t numbers o f men in the cons t ruc t ion o fp u b l i c w o r k s . T o g e t h e r w i t h t h i s p o i i t i c a levo lu t ion was a re l ig ious deve lopment wh ichproduced the mounds, p lazas and ar t , wh ich arefound today in the ground.

There are s t i l l many ques t ions about thedeve lopment o f th is cu l tu re , and as Cahok iap layed an impor tan t , poss ib ly the impor tan t ro lein th is deve lopment , many o f the answers havebeen and w i l l be found there . A t Cahok ia , a new

An artist's reconstruction of ancient Cahokia.

&W?4(4] ".9et- , , ; t*

*

type of shel l tempered pottery was made sometime after 800 A.D., a new type of housefoundat ion evo lved some one hundred yearsla te r . l s th is ev idence o f the Miss iss ipp iansevolving at Cahokia before they began theirsoread over much of the Eastern United States?l f so , no t a l l o f the loca l inhab i tan ts acceptedthe new ways , as the ear l ie r Wood land l i fe s ty lecont inued a t Cahok ia fo r hundreds o f years .What was the relat ionship between these twopeop les? Old theor ies a re be ing ques t ioned, newanswers are coming fo r th f rom the s low pat ien twork o f the archaeo log is t .

F la t topped mounds, t runcated ear thenpyramids , a re the most obv ious remains o f theM i s s i s s i p p i a n s , a n d C a h o k i a h a d o v e r o n ehundred o f them. They were bu i l t as p la t fo rmsfor the houses o f the i r leaders o r fo r mor tuarytemples in wh ich the bones o f the ru l ing c lass

.4F++-

were kept. The largest of al l such mounds isMonks Mound. l t was named after TrappistsMonks who l i ved nearby f rom 1809 to 1813.The mound is 1037 feet long, 790 feet wide, andbui l t in four terraces, the fourth 1OO feet high.I t was begun around 900 A.D. and added to forma ny genera t ions , ach iev ing i t s f ina l fo rmapprox imate ly 1150 A.D. A la rge bu i ld ing ,presumably a temple, covered the back of thefourth terrace, and i t has been est imated that i tsroof was more than f i f ty feet high, thus moundand temple had a height equivalent to that of af i f teen story bui lding above the f lood plain.

Around the t ime tha t Monks Mound wasbegun, one of the leaders of Cahokia was buried,laid down on a blanket or cape decorated withsome ten thousand mother of pearl shel l beads.He was surrounded by six attendants who hadbeen ki l led to accompany their master and serveh im in the o ther wor ld . Among the t r ibu te tha thas survived were two copper staf fs, f ifteencareful ly ground game stones, a basket load ofmica , and seven hundred and e igh ty f i vearrowheads, sorted in groups and from variousparts of the middlewest. In another part of thisbur ia l mound were the bones o f four men. The i rhands and their feet were missing. Near them, ina smal l pi t , were f i f ty four young women, whoaccording to osteological evidence had neverborn chi ldren, and nearby was a second pi t withtwenty one more. Al l together the mound hasrevealed one hundred and eighteen burials, andit is only half excavated. This sacr i f ice is somberproof of the power and control of the deadchief .

Just to the west of Monks Mound, are fourmounds arranged around a plaza. In the centerof this plaza, a wal led compound with a ser ies ofround huts bui l t into the wal l , their doorso p e n i n g o n t o t h e c o m p o u n d , h a v e b e e ndiscovered. To the west of this a number ofcircles marked by deep post pits were found, thelargest 480 feet in diameter, with a single postpi t just to the west of center. l t is assumed thatthey were pr imit ive sun calendars, used toobserve the r is ing of the solst ice, an AmericanSonehenge. Both wal led compound and circ lesare new to Mississippian archaeology, suggest ingthe surpr ises st i l l in the ground. They also markthe period of Cahokia's ceremonial c l imax, fromaround 1000 to 1200 A.D. Most Mississippiansites have one plaza, a few have two. Cahokia hassix, plus f ive clusters of mounds of unknownsignif icance, plus three sets of paired mounds.Were al l of these in use at one t ime or were theysequent ial? The central port ion of Cahokiaoccupies f ive square mi les. Clearly there is muchdigging and interpretat ion to be done.

Around the t ime that construct ion wasstopped on an incomplete Monks Mound, apalisade was was erected at the site, and thesetwo events suggest that a time of trouble hadarr ived. The part ial ly explored wal l had towersevery seventy feet, and was made of heavy postsburied deeply in the ground, probably extendingsome twelve feet above the surface, probablycovered with clay. The minimum length of thiswal l would have been some 7800 feet, andcount ing the towers, required 14,000 logs.Monks Mound was bui l t over many generat ions.The great wall would have been useless unless

lai tc(c(pru

belfivflf lapal

1

t\oLcha0

cst

Excavation of the compound.

The stockade.

Just to the west of Monks Mound, are fourmounds ar ranged around a p laza . In the centerof this plaza, a wal led compound with a ser ies ofround hu ts bu i l t in to the wa l l , the i r doorso p e n i n g o n t o t h e c o m p o u n d , h a v e b e e ndiscovered. To the west of this a number ofcirc les marked by deep post pi ts were found, thelargest 480 feet in diameter, with a single postpi t just to the west of center. l t is assumed thatthey were pr imit ive sun calendars, used toobserve the r i s ing o f the so ls t i ce , an Amer icanSonehenge. Both wa l led compound and c i rc lesare new to Miss iss ipp ian archaeo logy , suggest ingthe surpr ises s t i l l i n the ground. They a lso markthe per iod o f Cahok ia 's ceremonia l c l imax, f romaround 1000 to 1200 A.D. Most Miss iss ipp iansites have one plaza, a few have two. Cahokia hass ix , p lus f i ve c lus te rs o f mounds o f unknowns ign i f i cance, p lus th ree se ts o f pa i red mounds.Were al l of these in use at one t ime or were theysequent ia l? The cent ra l por t ion o f Cahok iaoccup ies f i ve square mi les . C lear ly there is muchd igg ing and in te rpre ta t ion to be done.

Around the t ime tha t cons t ruc t ion wass topped on an incomple te Monks Mound, apal isade was was erected at the si te, and thesetwo events suggest that a t ime of t rouble hadar r ived . The par t ia l l y exp lo red wa l l had towersevery seventy feet, and was made of heavy postsbur ied deep ly in the ground, p robab ly ex tend ingsome twelve feet above the surface, probablycovered w i th c lay . The min imum length o f th iswal l would have been some 7800 feet, andcount ing the towers, required 14,000 logs.Monks Mound was bu i l t over many genera t ions .The great wal l would have been useless unless

Chief's burialwi th 10,000shell beads.

comple ted w i th in a shor t t ime, and i t was thela rger task fo r the genera t ion tha t bu i l t i t . Thati t w a s u s e f u l i s p r o v e n b y a s i g n i f i c a n tconcent ra t ion o f a r rowheads a long i t s pa th . Acomple te ly fo rgo t ten war be tween unknownpeop ies is red iscovered by d igg ing in to what wasu n t i l r e c e n t l y a t y p i c a l l l l i n o i s c o r n f i e l d .

Over f i ve hundred house foundat ions havebeen excavated a t Cahok ia and i t has beenest imated tha t there migh t have been as many asf i f t y thousand bu i l t in the s ix o r seven hundredyears the s i te was occup ied . They changedthrough the years in type , s ize and var ie ty o ff loor o lan . Houses have been found c lus te redaround a "counc i l house, " a r ranged around ap laza , and l ined up in s t ree ts . Pot te ry found inassoc ia t ion w i th these houses , a long w i th Carbon14 tes ts , he lp p lace th is evo lu t ion in t ime.

There were sa te l l i te towns to th is cap i to l ,M i tche l l , Lebanon, ( the Emera ld Mound is par tof the State Park system) Pulcher, East SaintLou is and the Sa in t Lou is s i tes . Bes ides thesecenters there are over one hundred v i l lages andhamle ts known. in the Amer ican Bot toms anda long the r i vers and c reeks in the area . Fur therou t , Cahok ia sent co lon ies to Kansas , Wiscons in ,Georg ia and Arkansas , and her t rade connect ionss t re tched f rom Minnesota to F lo rd ia . Located a tthe conf luence o f the Missour i , M iss iss ipp i and

The stockade.

- l - { ur r

Chief's burialwi th 10,000shell beads.

comple ted w i th in a shor t t ime, and i t was thela rger task fo r the genera t ion tha t bu i l t i t . Thati t w a s u s e f u l i s p r o v e n b y a s i g n i f i c a n tconcent ra t ion o f a r rowheads a long i t s pa th . Acomple te ly fo rgo t ten war be tween unknownpeop les is red iscovered by d igg ing in to what wasu n t i l r e c e n t l y a t y p i c a l l l l i n o i s c o r n f i e l d .

Over f i ve hundred house foundat ions havebeen excavated at Cahokia and i t has beenest imated tha t there migh t have been as many asf i f t y thousand bu i l t in the s ix o r seven hundredyears the s i te was occup ied . They changedthrough the years in type , s ize and var ie ty o ff loor o lan . Houses have been found c lus te redaround a "counc i l house, " a r ranged around ap laza , and l ined up in s t ree ts . Pot te ry found inassoc ia t ion w i th these houses , a long w i th Carbon14 tes ts , he lp p lace th is evo lu t ion in t ime.

There were sa te l l i te towns to th is cap i to l ,M i tche l l , Lebanon, ( the Emera ld Mound is par tof the State Park system) Pulcher, East SaintLou is and the Sa in t Lou is s i tes . Bes ides thesecenters there are over one hundred v i l lages andhamle ts known, in the Amer ican Bot toms anda long the r i vers and c reeks in the area . Fur therou t , Cahok ia sent co lon ies to Kansas , Wiscons in ,Georg ia and Arkansas , and her t rade connect ionss t re tched f rom Minnesota to F lo rd ia . Located a tthe conf luence o f the Missour i , M iss iss ipp i and

\\

- - \l l

l, -<-E#

i-l

i l r€

_ _ - - :o6o@(o /

6o

CAHOKIAMOUNDS STATE PARK

Present BoundaryProposed Boundary

Information CenterMonks Mound

Pal isede

CompoundPlaza- SuncirclesTwin MoundaSacrif ice Mound

\\

\ \\

\

CAHOKIAMOUNDS STATE PANK

Present BounderyPropoced BoundaryInformstion CenterMonks MoundPolisadeCompoundPle za-SuncirclesTwin MoundsSacrifice Mound

o@g@

\r o n C t L i ' -',Jl-:

'-

--/

\

ft

t -

l rIl g f f i

i m@n les

\ ^t *

\\\

\\\\\I

\\t

\\

t

\- - - \r O

@o

=il Lt€tfsoc !

II

I-tI

aGffi

l l l i no is r i vers , on the f ron t ie r be tween the pra i r ieand southern fo res t , Cahok ia was in an idea lposit ion for the exchange of goods and ideaso v e r a l a r g e a r e a , a n d t h i s u n d o u b t e d l yencouraged her deve lopment . Recongn izab lelocal manufacture for export included pottery,a r row heads, mic ro d r i l l s , she l l beads and hoes .

Around 1250 to 1300 A.D. the popu la t iona n d b u i l d i n g a c t i v i t y a t C a h o k i a f e l l o f fabrupt ly, possibly because of an unfavorablechange in the c l imate to wh ich the i r corn cou ldnot adapt quickly enough, or for some unknowncu l tu ra l reason. There were s t i l l i nhab i tan ts a tthe si te, with Carbon 14 dates as late as 1500,and Ind ians w i th European t rade goods werebur ied in Monks Mound, bu t the days o f g lo rywere gone. When the French arr ived, the si te wasabandoned. The story of this great lost templetown we ca l l Cahok ia i s on ly now coming tol i sh t .

For further information concerning Illinois Slate Parksand Memorials write to the DIVISION OF PARKS ANDMEMORIALS, 100 State Office Building, Springfield62706.

Our numerous State Parks and Memorials are of easyaccess from every part of the state. Lodges, cabins, anddining rooms are important features of Illinois Beach,Starved Rock, Pere Marquette, White Pines Forest andGiant City State Parks, Reservations for lodging should bemade with lodge managers.

AU State Parks are open the year round, except whenweather condition necessitates the closing of park roadsduring the freezing and thawing periods. The access topark facilities is by foot traffic only. All State Memorialsopen the year round execpt Thanksgiving, Christmas, andNew Years,

(Printed by authority of State of lll inois)

Issued by

Department of ConservationDivision of Parks and Memorials

qYr*r F

W'{W,afIlfi^tnil

( lo l l ir r s r, i l i r '

( ] A I I O K I A M O U N I ] S

go

z

S' I 'A ' IE PARK

East St. Louis

ffi&ffi#KKAffiKOKFNffiffi

&T il PA R Ki l o l - . 1* l ! "JSVlL L .E , ILL INCIS

Monks Stound Aerial vierv of the largeslp reh ls to r ic ind ian mound in Nor th Amer ica

Photographs courtesy tllinois State Museum

' : r ; i . i : . . ' l I 20M-4-1O