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.
The Summer Solstice Sunrise observance will be held tomorrow, June 20th, at 5:20 am. Meet at the Woodhenge reconstruction. Atop a stepladder at the center post, Bill Iseminger will discuss the discovery and significance of the ancient calendar. Welcome the rising sun with Bill as he has done four times each year, during each solstice and equinox, for the last 41 years, and learn about this intriguing structure. No ceremonies will take place during this event. For more information, call 618-346-5160.
Our new Woodhenge shirts will be on sale tomorrow for $15. Have a great time!
We’re excited to report that masks will no longer be required to enter the Interpretive Center.
Further, we have a new shirt celebrating Woodhenge at the shop for $18.00.
If you join us for our Sumer Solstice Sunrise on June 20 at 5:20 am, the shirts will be on sale for $15.00
Hello all!
This is just a reminder that, due to loosening COVID restrictions, you no longer need to make reservations to visit the Interpretive Center. However, masks are still required in the building.
Come for a fun and safe visit!
We are so grateful to all of our artists for sharing their time and their work with us. We couldn’t have made this happen without them and without all of those who came to shop! For three days the Interpretive Center buzzed with activity as people came from all over came to see both traditional and contemporary Indian crafts on display. Thank you again to everyone involved!
Pictured: Stephanie Big Eagle, Tattooist, Writer, Dancer, and Crafter
This year’s Nature/Culture Hike is taking place Saturday, June 12th. The event starts at 1:00 pm and is free to attend. Join volunteer and SIUE Archaeology professor Julie Zimmerman on a 5.4 mile hike through most of the site. You’ll learn about the mounds and their cultural significance and hopefully spot some of the beautiful wildlife at the site. The weather should be mild. A great day for a hike!
Come join artists like Quintin Quam today and tomorrow for Indian Market Days at Cahokia Mounds. We welcome Quintin as one of six brand new artists who’ve come to share their beautiful work. It’s gorgeous outside, so come down to Cahokia Mounds for a great day!
Indian Market Days are here! 21 Indian artisans from many different tribes have joined us to show their beautiful hand crafted wares. Come join us today from 12 to 5, and if you can’t make it today, we’ll be here from 9-5 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday. Bring a friend!
Due to the lifting of COVID restrictions by the site, a reservation will not be required for the Indian Market Days. Masks will still be required. The Indian Market Days will take place June 4 from noon – 5:00, June 5 from 9:00 – 5:00, and June 6 from 9:00 – 4:00. This event is free to attend, however a suggested donation box will be available in the lobby.
“Phase 4 restrictions that have been in place at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site have been lifted. We are now following CDC and IDPH guidelines for Bridge Phase to Phase 5 which include a greater capacity inside the Interpretive Center as well as loosening mask protocols. Effective immediately, visitors will no longer be required to schedule an appointment to enter the Interpretive Center. Masks will still be mandatory to enter the facility. Appointments will no longer be required for events or tours. It has been a long year, and Cahokia Mounds is very happy to begin returning to normal. We appreciate your support during the many modifications being made to policy during the pandemic.”
Lori Belknap, Superintendant
