From March 25 to April 10, the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society and the Powell Archaeological Research Center will be holding a virtual auction. This fundraiser will take place via BiddingOwl. Follow us for more details as they come out.
The Winter Lecture on February 20, 2022 has been cancelled
Due to recent changes in pandemic restrictions, the in-person lecture scheduled for February 20 is cancelled. Jacob Holland-Lulewicz, PhD will be conducting a walking tour of the west flank of Monks Mound (the topic of his research) once the weather permits. More information on this unique opportunity will be in the Spring edition of the Cahokian as well as on social media outlets and our website.
Join Julie Zimmermann, PhD, SIUE for her Webinar titled, “Storytelling in the Creation of Cahokia.” Dr. Zimmermann will discuss what we know about storytelling in Native American Societies, and about storytelling at Cahokia in particular. She suggests that storytelling was the most important ritual conducted at Cahokia, and it was the most important ritual used to spread Cahokian ideology. This will be a 45 min. free ONLINE Webinar followed by a 15 minute question and answer period. To Register:
https://siue.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LDDDTVzPQmGgLeY4_w5Dhw
The Interpretive Center at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site will be closed to the public beginning March 1 to facilitate $5 million in capital improvement projects at the site. The projects, which will be managed by the Illinois Capital Development Board, are funded through Gov. JB Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the first in nearly a decade.
The work is estimated to last at least 12 months. During the closure, the driveway leading into the site will be closed and no public access will be available to the main parking lot and surrounding area. The Monks Mound parking lot and trails north of Collinsville Road will remain open. Walking tours of the site may resume when weather allows in the spring while work on the Interpretive Center project is underway.
“The $5 million capital improvement project at Cahokia Mounds will include replacement of the existing roof, HVAC, lighting, fire suppression and security systems within the Interpretive Center,” said Cahokia Mounds Site Superintendent Lori Belknap. “The improvements will update and replace some systems and components that date to the construction of the Interpretive Center in 1988. When the Interpretive Center reopens, visitors will see many improvements including restoration of our theatre, along with upgrades and improvements to gallery elements, enhancing visitor experiences.”
The Cahokia Mounds Museum Society plans to host events outside of the Interpretive Center during the closure.
On Saturday, February 19 from 12 to 4 pm, learn the basics of flintknapping and stone tools.
Participants must be age 15 or above.
All tools and supplies are provided.
Wear long pants.
Payment of $30 can be made to the instructor at the beginning of class.
Masks must be worn when entering the Cahokia Mounds Interpretive Center. If pandemic restrictions change, students will be notified.
To register call 618-346-5160.
We’ve got two fascinating Winter Lectures lined up for 2022. Both will take place in the Interpretive Center’s Iseminger Auditorium. Our featured lecturers are Julie Zimmermann, PhD, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Dr. Jacob Holland-Lulewicz, PhD, Washington University St. Louis. Be sure to check out each lecture to learn about the most current research into Cahokia Mounds.
The first installment of this year’s Winter Lecture series is by Dr. Julie Zimmerman. This lecture will take place January 16 at 2 pm in the Iseminger Auditorium. Dr. Zimmerman discusses Cahokia as a state focused on storytelling. The abstract of Dr. Zimmerman’s lecture, “Storytelling in the Creation of Cahokia,” follows.
Dr. Zimmerman states, “I have argued that Cahokia might best be understood as the capital of a Native American theater state, which drew people to it and spread its influence by attracting followers through theatrical rituals. In current research I argue that storytelling was primary among those rituals. All humans define and create the perceived world through language and stories, and storytelling is a central ritual in oral societies, the foundation for all other rituals. Traditional Native American beliefs indicate that words form the world; contemporary Native American viewpoints also suggest that stories are essential and create the world. Cahokian stories were remembered and commemorated with Braden-style artworks made at and disseminated from Cahokia. Primary among these stories was that of a great hero who wore human head earrings. Other stories were told at Cahokia, but the stories of heroes are those most often depicted in Braden-style artworks found far from Cahokia. The dissemination of hero stories supports the notion that Cahokia was a state; heroic storytelling was central to the growth of the state. Cahokians created their world through stories, but it was through hero stories that they grew their authority in far-flung societies.”
This year’s second lecture, “The Western Flank Survey: From Mississippian to Modern-Day in the Shadow of Monks Mound,” will be given by Dr. Jacob Holland-Lulewicz on February 20 at 2 pm in the Iseminger Auditorium. Read the abstract below.
Dr. Holland-Lulewicz explains, “In this talk, I summarize recent results from the Western Flank Survey, an extensive shovel-test survey of the area immediately abutting the western flank of Monks Mound. Though small in geographic extent, this seemingly insignificant slice of Cahokia has played host to over 1,000 years of human activity: from the moundbuilding and landscape modifications of the original Indigenous occupants, to French missionaries and monks, nineteenth century farmers, and most recently a century’s worth of heritage-making and tourism. Using recent survey results, carefully narrated artifact biographies, and a wealth of historical maps and documents, we will explore a millennium of regional history as reflected, assembled, and staged in the western shadow of the great Monks Mound.”
These lectures are the result of meticulous archaeological research and brought to you by the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society. If you wish to ensure that the society is able to continue helping research the city of Cahokia, please consider joining as a member or donating to our Annual Fund Drive. If you chose to give to the Annual Fund Drive, a one time donation of $125 or a sustained monthly donation of $10 will get you one of our yearly, one of a kind AFD shirt.
The funds generated by these memberships and donations go to research like these lectures, as well as educational outreach, cultural events, new programs like our “Back to the City of the Sun” augmented reality project, and land acquisition efforts. Please consider us during this giving season.
The Annual Fund Drive is in full swing. You can help CMMS continue our efforts at the site with your donation. These funds stay here at Cahokia Mounds and are used to support the entire Calendar of Events, field research, and land acquisition. The Site recieves no funds at the State level to implement any of the outreach or cultural events, marketing, advertising, or research that takes place at Cahokia Mounds. These activities are funded solely by membership dues, donations, grants, and Gift Shop sales.
We know that many organizations need financial help, but we ask that you consider making a donation to the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society Annual Fund Drive this giving season. Your generous giving makes a world of difference in helping Cahokia Mounds continue to provide great programming and research for all our visitors and the community at large.
You can contribute by calling 618-344-7316 or by emaling museumsociety@cahokiamounds.org or giftshop@cahokiamounds.org. Help us preserve the archaeological data at this World Heritage Site and share the story of this ancient city with the world.
For a one time donation of $125 or a monthly donation of $10 or more, you will receive one of this year’s Annual Fund Drive shirts.
The Annual Fund Drive will continue until January 31st.
Imagine if you could soar high above the dazzling fall foliage at Starved Rock State Park, the towering Indiana Dunes, the vast expanse of Lake Michigan, or the lost Native American City of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Southern Illinois. Cahokia Mounds and Starved Rock are among the featured sites of the WTTW PBS production “BEYOND CHICAGO FROM THE AIR”. The Show airs on December 1 at 7:30 pm on all WTTW PBS platforms. WTTW host/writer Geoffrey Baer takes to the skies again to travel Illinois sharing fun facts and fascinating history as exhilarating drone photography captures towns, parks, railroads, waterways, monuments, and more in Illinois. The immersive experience is extended on a companion website (wttw.com/beyondchicago) offering a “making of” behind-the-scenes video with commentary by Baer and producer/director Eddie Griffin.
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Interpretive Center is open Thursday through Sunday from 9-5. Grounds are open daily from dawn until dusk. There is no entrance fee, but a suggested donation helps offset costs.
Cahokia Mounds is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and US National Historic Landmark.
For more information contact 618-346-5160 or visit www.cahokiamounds.org.
Thank you to our runners for making this year’s City of the Sun 5k Trail Run a success. It was a beautiful day for to enjoy the foliage on the trails. All the proceeds are going to fund outreach and education for Cahokia Mounds.
It’s coming right around the corner! Join us for our annual City of the Sun 5k Trail Run on November 7 at 9 am. This fundraiser will give you the opportunity to run along our beautiful site and take in the fall air. Proceeds go to making the site great, improving the programming we offer, and land acquisition efforts to preserve and interpret more of the mounds currently off-site.
Online registration is closed, but you can still sign up the morning of the race by arriving at 8. Registration is $30 per person and $45 for a pair.
Even if you don’t register to run, you can still come out to show your support of the mounds and to cheer on the runners!
This run will take place rain or shine and not all the paths are paved, so make sure to wear appropriate shoes. Most importantly, have fun!
2021 Jingle Hike Challenge
The Jingle Hike Challenge is back for another year! The staff at Heartlands Conservancy have come up with 12 very special places in southwestern Illinois to explore this winter.
About the Jingle Hike Challenge
Jingle bells will be tied to 12 trees in parks throughout the Metro East from Thanksgiving Day to New Year’s Day. Participants are asked to visit as many parks as they can, take a selfie with the bell, and submit the photo evidence using a new tracking system. You can also share your photos on social media, using the hashtag #JingleHike. To check out the Jingle Hike Locations and Rules, go to the Official Jingle Hike Challenge page here.
Registration begins October 11, 2021. Cost is $25 per person and includes t-shirt, printed map with instructions, entry number, and chance to win great prizes. You must register by November 1 to get your t-shirt. (You can still register after November 1, but you will not receive a t-shirt).
After you register you can pick up your Jingle Hike packet from Toolen’s Running Start in O’Fallon (3260 Green Mt Crossing Dr, O’Fallon, IL 62269) on Saturday, November 20 between 10 am and noon. Anyone who is unable to come during this time can pick up their packets at the HeartLands Conservancy office at 29 E Main Street in Belleville during business hours or pay an extra $5.00 to have the packet shipped to you. Shirts not picked up by January 31, 2022 will be donated.
Can I still play if I don’t register?
Anyone is welcome to find the jingle bells, snap and submit a selfie, and share it on social media using #jinglehike. However, you will only be entered to win prizes if you are registered.
FREE Membership Only Event
Make your reservations today by calling 618-344-9221
Sunday, October 17th & Monday, October 18th (10:00 am – 3:30pm)
Back to the City of the Sun, an Augmented Reality Experience
Be one of the first to view and review the NEW Augmented Reality project going on NOW at Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site.
MEMBERS ONLY can bring the past to the present on an iPad to observe the NEW release of the Monks Mound Tour. You’ll see detailed 3D models bring the past to present with unparalleled realism. Touch Knowledge Point icons that will add to your experience with extra information about artifacts or structures. As you walk between these various stops, you can listen to audio and learn even more. Visitors can stand on the ground where only the mounds remain and through the lens of a digital device, see other cultural features that were present a thousand years ago.
On this tour you will see:
The temple that once stood on top of Monks Mound and its interior
A typical Mississippian dwelling
The stockade wall
A charnel house on Fox Mound
People performing activities and more!
GRAND PLAZA TOUR Coming Spring 2022
Click the following link to learn more.
Looking for something fun to do between November 25 and January 1? If you like to hike, we invite you to take part in Heartland Conservancy’s Jingle Hike Challenge. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, as well as many other parks in the St. Louis Metro area, will be hiding jingle bells in the trees for you to find. Hike around our grounds and take pictures of yourself with as many bells as you can. You’ll then post them using the Heartlands Conservancy’s new tracking system (Details coming soon). For every picture, you’ll get another entry in a raffle with some fun prizes, including a two night stay at Camp Ondessonk for up to 6 people! All the prizes are for the adventurous.
Registration is $25 per person. More details can be found by following the below link:
https://heartlandsconservancy.org/jingle-hike-challenge/
Have fun!
Per CDC COVID-19 guidelines, all visitors to the Interpretive Center are required to wear masks. Please ensure your mask covers both your nose and your mouth to help us keep our visitors, staff, and volunteers safe. Thank you.
Masks are available at our Welcome Desk.
FREE Membership Only Event
Make your reservations today by calling 618-344-9221
Sunday, October 17th & Monday, October 18th (10:00 am – 3:30pm)
Back to the City of the Sun, an Augmented Reality Experience
Be one of the first to view and review the NEW Augmented Reality project going on NOW at Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site.
MEMBERS ONLY can bring the past to the present on an iPad to observe the NEW release of the Monks Mound Tour. You’ll see detailed 3D models bring the past to present with unparalleled realism. Touch Knowledge Point icons that will add to your experience with extra information about artifacts or structures. As you walk between these various stops, you can listen to audio and learn even more. Visitors can stand on the ground where only the mounds remain and through the lens of a digital device, see other cultural features that were present a thousand years ago.
On this tour you will see:
The temple that once stood on top of Monks Mound and its interior
A typical Mississippian dwelling
The stockade wall
A charnel house on Fox Mound
People performing activities and more!
GRAND PLAZA TOUR Coming Spring 2022
Click the following link to learn more.
The Illinois Department of National Resources recently recognized Bill Egan as a 2021 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. These volunteers spend thousands of hours assisting staff and visitors at IDNR sites.
Bill Egan has dedicated his volunteer service to a variety of duties at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Mr. Egan welcomes visitors to the site’s Interpretive Center, providing tours of the gallery and seating guests for orientation programs, as well as providing dozens of interpretive tours on the grounds of the site. Mr. Egan also volunteers to give talks on Cahokia Mounds to community groups and civic organizations at libraries, senior centers, and schools. With his knowledge and sense of humor, site staff consider Bill Egan an irreplaceable interpreter for his participation in programs and assisting visitors at Cahokia Mounds.
Join Dr. Julie Zimmerman for the Cahokia Mounds Nature/Culture Hike on October 17. You’ll learn about native plants and animals and how the Mississippian culture interacted with them and the environment.
This is a 2-hour 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, 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 sever erosional problems on these ancient monuments.
Congressman Mike Bost visited Cahokia Mounds yesterday to discuss the Bill he introduced in April to make Cahokia Mounds and surrounding Mississippian Complexes into a unit of the National Park Service. The proposed Bill will designate Cahokia Mounds and the other complexes as ‘Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture National Historical Park.’ The Bill is currently at the Natural Resources Committee and is awaiting hearing by the Committee. Currently, there is movement to have Cahokia Mounds designated a National Monument by President Biden, however, the letter to the President hasn’t officially been drafted and sent. This could happen within the upcoming months if everything goes according to current plans. If the site is designated as a unit of the NPS or as a National Monument, what this looks like in terms of management remains to be seen as there are many steps that must take place following the designation to work through these logistics and it will likely be a lengthy process at best.
