6 Southern Illinois Ancient Native Sites

CAHOKIA MOUNDS STATE HISTORIC SITE. The present site is just a shadow of what once existed back when the mound-builders dominated the bottomlands flanking the Mississippi River with their sprawling city of up to 20,000 people. In it's time, Cahokia even extended to St Louis across the river in Missouri, commonly referred to as Mound City back before the mounds were removed for the expanding city. Even today, what remains is impressive. The centerpiece is the 100-foot Monk's Mound, from atop which the Great Sun ruled the city. The mound's name stems from French monks who lived for a time on one of the lower terraces. Cahokia refers to the Illinois tribe that lived on the site when the French arrived. No one knows what the mound builders called themselves. Other burial and ceremonial mounds are scattered around the area, an astronomical observatory called Woodhenge has been reconstructed just west of Monk's Mound, and there is a multi-million dollar visitor's center with exhibits and even a reproduction of a residential area you can walk through. It grew, then slowly declined during the period 900-1200AD, sustained by a corn-based agricultural system, supplemented by meat and fish, and other domestic crops. For more detail on this site, read my article.

KINKAID MOUNDS. Located about 10 miles east of Brookport at the southern tip of Illinois across from Paducah, Kentucky, this mound system is the remnant of a small Mississippian Culture city. It was a contemporary of Cahokia Mounds, that dates from between 1050 and 1400 AD. The 105 acre site includes and public observation and interpretation area. As at Cahokia, the mounds around the level plaza was the central part of the city, enclosed by a palisade. Ceremonies were held at the plaza as were games of chunky, which had religious connotations.

EMERALD MOUND. Located east of Lebanon, a mound was the probable center of a small village that was a community that was part of the support system for the city at Cahokia Mounds. The mound is about 300 feet at its base, 20 feet tall and the community probably occupied about 140 acres in all between 700-1400 AD and included other, smaller mounds. Rectangular with a flat top, Emerald Mound today is a tree-covered island in cultivated fields. Located south of Madison County Road 4, one mile east of Illinois Route 4.

PIASA BIRD. Pere Marquette first encountered the amazing petroglyph of the fearsome Piasa on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River during his 1692 explorations. Today, at the upstream edge of Alton, the painting of the Piasa on the bluffs -- the original blasted away by quarrying decades and decades ago -- looks down from the bluffs, purchased between two huge cave openings in the limestone. A writer recorded a story of the defeat of the man-eating creature by local Indians, but it is believed a fabrication since he later published another origin story. Further, there was no indication originally the painted figure bore wings. Some suggest the depicted creature may have actually been a warning, indicating monsters in the deeps causing river rapids in that area of the river. Read my story of the Piasa here.

THE STONE FORTS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. The mysterious stone forts seem to be contemporaneous with the Cahokia and Kincaid sites. Their function is open to question, although it may be ceremonial, symbolism likely to rate higher than function. After all, look at the low wall of stones that remains of the stone fort on the bluff overlooking the entrance to Giant City State Park in Makanda. There is a wall blocking off a part of the bluff extending over the road below -- it has little defensive value, lacking a means of retreat, and there's no water source inside the wall. In all, there are 10-12 stone forts in Southern Illinois, with generally similar designs. Perhaps others may be hidden in unexplored areas of the Shawnee National Forest. More on the stone forts can be found here.

GORHAM PETROGLYPHS. Regrettably defaced by vandals, these petroglyphs on Fountain Bluff at the north end of Big Hill, along a country road a mile southwest of Gorham were left by ancient Indians. The small collection of petroglyphs are on the face of the 200-foot bluff located in the Shawnee National Forest. The symbols have never been translated and depict wolves, crosses, deer, geometric images, birds, and humans. Regrettably, the display has been badly defaced the petroglyphs with their own scratches and markings, but you can pick out some of the symbols of the area's original inhabitants. Turn west off Illinois Route 3 from Grimsby onto the unmarked road just before the Gorham bridge. Take it east and follow it to the Gorham Petroglyphs. Roadside parking is available.