The Cahokia Mounds Annual Holiday Market will be at the Gateway Convention Center.

Over 25 Native American artists sell Native American arts and crafts. Items include: Jewelry, Painting, Sculpture, Beadwork, Ceramics, and more!

November 25th through November 27th, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9-5.

Gateway Convention Center
1 Gateway Drive,
Collinsville, IL 62234

(618) 344-9221 / (618) 344-7316

Join Dr. Julie Zimmermann for the Cahokia Mounds Nature/Culture Hike on October 15. You’ll learn about native plants and animals and how the Mississippian culture interacted with them and the environment.

This is a hike through some of the less commonly traveled trails, so make sure to wear appropriate clothing, sturdy shoes suitable for hiking, and to bring water. Sunscreen, bug spray, water, and snacks are advised, though make sure any refuse makes its way back to our trash cans at the Interpretive Center. It is imperative that no one climb the mounds, as unauthorized foot trails on the sides of mounds are causing severe erosion problems on these ancient monuments.

The event is expected to take from 1-4:30. Please meet by the entrance to the Interpretive Center.

At the November 17 meeting of the Cahokia Archaeological Society, Steve Boles, Senior Research Archaeologist for the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, will give a talk entitled “Grandmother—Up in Smoke: Traces of Cahokians in Distant Lands.” The abstract of the lecture can be found below.

Decades of research on the birth of the Mississippian culture and the founding of Cahokia has shown that at the onset, Cahokia drew immigrants from all directions. It was, in essence, the Pre-Contact “melting pot” of its time. We also know that people began departing Cahokia roughly a hundred years after it began. Although the complete depopulation of Cahokia would take another two hundred years, a substantial depopulation of Cahokia is evident by the 12th century. Where did they go? Although a number of researchers are focusing on that question, the answer is quite elusive. How does one “track” Cahokian emigrants? Of all the Cahokia trappings, very few would be distinguishable in the archaeological record. At the top of the list, however, would be the Cahokia-style figurines or statues, many created as or converted to pipes. A rather obscure female effigy pipe carved in the Cahokia-style and recovered in Oklahoma will be the focus of this presentation. This effigy is likely a depiction of a mythological persona often referred to as Grandmother or Old Woman. Other notable figurines and identifiable Cahokian material recovered in distant lands will also be discussed.

“Cahokia in Chesterfield: The Sun, Moon and Milky Way” is the title of the free presentation by Mark Leach, September 15, at 6 pm, at the Collinsville Memorial Library, at the monthly meeting of the Cahokia Archaeological Society. The public is invited to attend.

Nearly 1000 years ago, a vibrant community, related to the great prehistoric city of Cahokia, filled the entire Chesterfield Valley west of St. Louis. This planned civic, ceremonial, and market center was constructed to reflect important celestial alignments of the sun, moon, and Milky Way. Excavations and other research in a portion of the valley have revealed over 100,000 artifacts, including some made from exotic material from the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes, as well as three temples and two earthen pyramids that formed a solar calendar that stretched over 3.5 miles across the valley. Leach will discuss these findings and others from over 70 years of archaeological research, which still is ongoing. Leach, a local author, has published several archaeological books, including one with the same title as his presentation, and Chesterfield’s Ancient Past, and The Great Pyramids of St. Louis: An Ancient Metropolis.

Despite our closure, the team at Cahokia Mounds is still hard at work!

Right now, we’re preparing for our annual City of the Sun 5k Trail Run, which will take place on November 6. This run will take you all throughout the grounds: down trails, between the mounds, across the fields, and more! The run will take place rain or shine (except in case of lightning), so make sure to wear good shoes. It could get muddy.

Also, August is our annual Membership drive, so tell all your friends! Be sure to stay tuned to see the exclusive gift for new members.