Recently, Cahokia Mounds has been receiving much necessary attention as citizens and academics ponder the uncertainty of its future. The state’s Historic Preservation Agency, which oversees the park, was ordered to cut $3 million from its budget – which led to the reduction of staff across the state and the elimination of four positions at Cahokia Mounds. These cuts have led concerned citizens to call for the National Park system to take control of Cahokia Mounds. Cahokia Mounds is an UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site, one of seven in the United States and the only currently not under the supervision of the National Park Service.
Cahokia Mounds, an Illinois state park, is situated just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis (you can see the arch from atop Monk’s Mound). Its location on the fertile floodplains of the Mississippi put it in the center of a vast area of fertile croplands and wildlife resources. The site, approximately 40 acres in size, contains a complex of earthen mounds, plazas, henges, and dwelling sites. At the height of its power, between 1050 and 1200 CE, the Mississippian peoples who inhabited Cahokia, and its surrounding, outlying farming villages, numbered near 30,000 people, comprising the largest prehistoric population north of Mexico.
While I fundamentally agree with the growing murmurs to nationalize Cahokia Mounds, I think the timing is slightly off, with the United States facing economic uncertainty and the fact that the State of Illinois says they can handle the situation. For all the fuss, there have been no discussions between the state and federal governments. Compared to the historical events that have occurred at Cahokia Mounds, this budget concern is only a small blip. Consider that the Mounds were abandoned long before the arrival of Europeans and have survived the efforts of settlers to homestead the land, the site has remained remarkably intact. Monk’s Mound, the largest earthen construction on the site (and in North America) is named for the failed establishment of a Trappist monastery on its slopes. The site was also once home to a drive-in movie theatre in the 1950’s and a housing development that destroyed several outlying mounds. Cahokia Mounds is in no emanate danger, unless state preservation laws change or Mother Nature brings bounteous erosion.
If you want to help support Cahokia Mounds, I suggest you go visit the site, which includes an amazing looking museum and interpretive center in addition to the mounds. After all the key to preservation is knowledge. The park has no entrance fee, but donations are accepted. I intend to visit next time I’m at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
Related Links:
“Let’s ‘nationalize’ Cahokia Mounds – Daily Herald
Is it Time to “nationalize” Cahokia Mounds? – TMCnet
Metropolitan Life on the Mississippi – Washington Post.com
Legends of America: Cahokia Mounds
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