| Cahokia | |
 | |
| State | United States of America |
|---|---|
| Federated state | Illinois |
| Region | Midwest |
| Territory | Metro East |
| Surface | 8.9 km² |
| Institutional website | |
Cahokia (or Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site) is an archaeological site ofIllinois.
To know
Cahokia was the seat of the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico. The city was occupied for seven centuries as American Indians cultivated, traded, created art, studied the sun and built huge mounds of earth. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people lived in Cahokia when it reached its peak 800 years ago. Today Cahokia is one of the World Heritage Sites in the United States of America. You can walk the ground where the Indians walked, climb to the top of a 30-meter mound, and visit a world-class museum to learn more about life in this part of America before Columbus.
The main attractions of the site are the 69 remaining man-made mounds, the largest of which is Monks Mound, which is about 30 meters high. The remainder of the 890-hectare site consists of many grass-covered mounds that vary in size and shape, several interpretive and signposted trails, a reconstruction of the Woodhenge solar calendar, and reconstructions of the palisade walls.
Geographical notes
Cahokia Mounds is located in the Mid-Western lowlands a few miles from the banks of the Mississippi River, in the ridge and floodplain known as "American Bottom". This area included numerous lakes, swamps and streams, many of which formed in old abandoned river channels and forests grew around the water sources. Today there are population centers throughout the country.American Bottom, but this oasis gives an idea of what the lands must have looked like a long time ago.
Flora and fauna
The site's wildlife is legally protected and much of it lives in small wooded areas. Sightings of deer are common, while ducks and other birds can be spotted as you wander the well-marked trails.
Free printed guides help you identify some of the site's plants and trees, while the carefully manicured garden areas show the types of plants that grew in prehistoric times.
Background
Built by the Mississippi Indians between AD 600 and 1300, Cahokia was the largest pre-Columbian city of all United States of America. Then, covering 16 square km, Cahokia was a melting pot of Indian groups. The city included large cornfields, wooden houses for thousands of people, large open squares and some 120 earthen mounds.
Although the city was abandoned in the 1300s, French and then American settlers arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries and began farming again. As early as the early 1800s, archaeologists recognized that there was something unique here, but the land continued to be used for agriculture for the next 125 years. In the 1930s, the US government thought about turning the site into a national park, but ultimately decided not to. The state of Illinois then purchased a first parcel of land, including Monks Mound, and continues to expand and manage the park through the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site remains one of the few World Heritage Sites in the United States that is not managed by the federal government.
Cahokia Mounds was designated a National Historic Heritage Site in 1964, entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 and declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1982.
How to get
By car
From Saint Louis or from western St. Louis County (in Missouri): Take Interstate 55/70, 64 or Highway 40 & 44 across the Poplar St. Bridge toIllinois. Follow I-55/70, not 64 ', to Exit 6 (Highway 111). Exit and turn right on Highway 111 South. At the traffic lights turn left onto Collinsville Rd. The Interpretation Center is approximately one mile on the right.
From Northern St. Louis County: Take I-270 East towards Illinois to I-255. Take I-255 South (Memphis) to Exit 24, Collinsville Rd. Exit and turn left onto Collinsville Rd at the light at the end of the exit ramp. The Interpretation Center is located approximately 2.5 km on the left.
From Southern St. Louis County: Take I-255 across the Jefferson Barracks Bridge to Illinois. Continue on I-255 to Exit 24, Collinsville Rd. Exit and turn left on Collinsville Rd at the light at the end of the exit ramp. The Interpretation Center is located approximately 2.5 km on the left.
Permits / Rates
- Interpretive Center.
Park: free admission; Suggested donation: USD 4 / adult, USD 2 / child, USD 10 / family. 
Interpretive center, 9.00-17.00; Camp: 8: 00-sunset. Park: May-October Mon-Sun; November-April: Wed-Sun.
Park: free admission; Suggested donation: USD 4 / adult, USD 2 / child, USD 10 / family. 
Interpretive center, 9.00-17.00; Camp: 8: 00-sunset. Park: May-October Mon-Sun; November-April: Wed-Sun.How to get around
There are free parking areas for cars and RVs at the Visitor Center, Monks Mound and Woodhenge.
The site is easy to walk around. The Visitor Center offers an informative self-guided audio tour (free) that will guide you to the main points of interest.
The Visitor Center / Interpretation Center is wheelchair accessible. The recently installed concrete paths ensure accessibility to the Grand Plaza area, Mound 72 and several other parts of the site.
What see
What to do
Shopping
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
Ticks and poison ivy are found on some of the longer trails. Wear long pants and use bug spray for protection.
While the most popular paths are concrete ones, some segments of some paths are made of dirt, lumber, grass or gravel. Wheelchair visitors should inquire about the specific route they take before traveling. For longer trails, hiking shoes are recommended.
As an archaeological site, any unauthorized excavation for any reason in any area is strictly illegal. It is illegal to disturb or remove any flora, fauna or artifacts from the site.
