Due to new COVID-19 restrictions we are altering the way we admit visitors. Beginning November 18 you need to have an appointment. We will be allowing 10 visitors into the Interpretive Center every 30 minutes beginning at 9am and ending at 4pm. A mask must be worn while in the facility.Please RSVP by calling 618-346-5160.
The Saint Louis Art Museum is featuring works by artist Elias Sime. “On an unusually warm day in December 2019, Sime and his creative partner, curators and anthropologist Meskerem Assegued visited St. Louis in preparation for the exhibition Currents 118: Elias Sime. Their first destination was Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, where they viewed the mounds of the ancient Native American city directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Sime’s focus on global phenomena extends beyond contemporary systems of communication and exchange to ancient histories of art and architecture and their unique visual languages. Standing on Monks Mound, Sime and Assegued discussed Ethiopia’s own historic mounds, which were built between the 8th and 15th centuries. With only one day in St. Louis before heading back to Ethiopia, there was just enough time to see the Gateway Arch, a St. Louis landmark and an outstanding achievement in sculpture and engineering.
The exhibit titled Tightrope: Eyes and Ears of a Bat 1 and 2. These large-scale, concave bowls invert the iconic forms of the mound the arch. The half-spherical shapes are covered with wires and electrical components, like freestanding versions of Sime’s iconic wall-hung assemblages. Braided and twisted electrical wires nailed into the bowls’ surfaces evoke both movement in nature and painterly brushstrokes. Sime chose their brown, terra-cotta, and green colors to allude to the shades of the Midwestern winter landscape he saw from the vantage point of Monks Mound. Through its unique materiality, Sime’s art expresses an astute commentary on environmental sustainability, the power of nature, global social connections, and the beauty of the utilitarian.”
The exhibit closes January 31, 2021. For more information on visiting check SLAM’s website.
On Saturday October 24, Cahokia Mounds Museum Society is partnering with Powell Archaeological Research Center to host their Annual Trivia night a little differently. Our normal trivia night was postponed due to COVID-19 and in person events will likely not be taking place any time soon so we are taking it virtual.
Powell Archaeological Research Center processes and catalogs everything found during our summer digs. They are also a non profit organization and rely solely on donations to pay for all expenses that they incur in processing these items.
In order to participate in Trivia night, each household must have a computer or tablet or any device that they can access Zoom on as that will be the platform we use for the evening’s events. Each participant will also need a separate device to actually answer the questions. Kahoot! is an app that allows participants to answer questions and the person who answers correctly gets the most points. It’s every person for themselves. Have friends over and compete against each other! Tickets are $15 plus applicable fees and can be purchased at Eventbrite.
We will have Steve Shininger providing some entertainment throughout the night.
If you have any questions please email museumsociety@cahokiamounds.org or call (618) 344-7316.
Beginning the week of September 21, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site will reduce Interpretive Center open days to 4 days per week, Thursday through Sunday. Grounds will remain open daily from dawn until dusk. This is due to recent reductions in staffing as well as the effects of the pandemic on our human resources. We anticipate this schedule to remain throughout the winter months and hope that you continue to support Cahokia Mounds during our new schedule. We are working hard to maintain programming and implement new programming that conforms to the constraints the pandemic has imposed on us. You can find more information on our website and social media outlets as it becomes available.
On Aug 27th we had the honor of hosting Governor J.B. Pritzker and the First Lady. They visited the Interpretive Center and received a tour led by Bill Iseminger. The Governor asked many questions about the history of the Mississippians and also asked many questions about the site. They also made the trip up Monks Mound where Bill also led a short tour. It was an honor to have them visit.
“We are happy to announce that we will be opening our Interpretive Center on Wednesday, July 15. We will be open Wednesday through Sunday, from 9:00 am through 5:00 pm. We will have reduced staff and will limit the occupancy of the building to 50 people or less. On Monday I will issue a statement that explains the new protocols for entering the building. Please hold your questions until this is developed and a public statement is made. As of now, we wanted to inform you that you will soon be able to revisit the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Interpretive Center with restrictions beginning next week!”
Lori Belknap-Site Superintendent
As we move towards fully reopening Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, we will now offer interpretive outdoor tours of 3 key areas of the site.
Interpretive outdoor tours will begin on Wednesday 7/8/2020 and continue until the building reopens. Tours will be offered Wednesday through Sunday.
There will be 3 tour offerings: The Grand Plaza, Mound 72, and Monks Mound.
Each tour will last 45 minutes.
These tours will be offered on an RSVP basis only, by calling 618-346-5161.
All 3 tours will take place at 10:00, 11:00, and 1:00. If you would like to do all the tours, you must RSVP for EACH tour. Only those on the RSVP list will be permitted to accompany the tour guide.
Tours are limited to 10 people and face coverings will be required.
The Grand Plaza tour will begin at the bronze door entrance of the Interpretive Center.
The Monks Mound tour will begin at the Monks Mound Interpretive Sign located just NW of the Monks Mound parking lot.
The Mound 72 tour will begin at the Interpretive Sign in the main visitor parking lot.
These are walking tours, during extreme heat, the guide reserves the right to modify the distance and content of the tour to ensure visitor comfort and safety.
Restrooms are not available, please bring water and any other amenities with you. Look for an employee with a ‘Tour Guide’ hat at the designated starting point.
If your 4th of July plans include Cahokia Mounds, please be aware that there are no fireworks permitted on the grounds whatsoever. The grounds are open from dawn until dusk only. The pavilions are open for groups of 50 or less and are on a first-come, first-served basis. The museum, pit toilets, and water fountains remain closed. We ask that you take any trash with you or use the provided receptacles. Thank you for your consideration as you celebrate the 4th of July.
CLOSED: The Interpretive Center will remain closed at this time. IDNR is working closely with the IDPH to develop the proper safety protocols to open our facility as safely as possible. We had hoped we could open today when the Governor opens the state at the Phase 4 level of reopening but we will not be reopening today. We are working very hard to prepare our facility and our protocols so that we can begin interpretive functions again safely for our staff and our visitors. As soon as we have more information, we will pass it along to you via FB and our website. In the meantime, please continue enjoying our grounds and understand that the safety of our visitors, staff, and Volunteers is our first priority. Hope to see you all soon!!
Lori Belknap
Site Superintendent
Welcome back! The grounds at Cahokia Mounds are now open from dawn till dusk. The Interpretive Center, Picnic Area, Playground, Toilets, and Water Fountains remain closed. As you enjoy the grounds, please adhere to the Governor’s 6 ft. social distance mandate and wear a face covering if a 6 ft. distance cannot be maintained unless you medically cannot. We realize this is challenging when outdoors, however we ask for your consideration of other visitors as we do our part to mitigate the spread of COVID – 19 in our community. We will place some brochures outside of the Museum door. Enjoy the outdoors at Cahokia Mounds!
We are happy to announce that the grounds at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site will reopen on May 29 with restrictions. This includes all walking areas, Monks Mound, and Woodhenge. Restrictions are:
A face covering is required, physical distancing measures must be followed, picnic pavilions and playground remain closed, and water fountains will remain off. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Illinois Department of Natural Resources encourage you to enjoy our beautiful outdoor resources and welcome you back to the site as we transition through the Governor’s 5-Phase Reopen Plan. For questions, please call 618-346-5160, we will be answering calls on a limited basis.
Cahokia Mounds is accepting applications for six month seasonal positions. Download the application from the Work4Illinois website and email to the site with the background check and a copy of your valid DL. Call 618-346-5164 with questions. Lori.belknap@illinois.gov
During the shutdown period our badly deteriorated outdoor mitigation porch received a facelift and a new sign. We received a generous donation to repaint and produce a sign for the outdoor feature exhibit. This area was inhabited by all four phases of occupation at the site beginning with AD 1050 through AD 1250. This is represented by four colors of paint as noted in the sign. The rectangles are where houses stood and the circular features are either pits or post holes. The oldest is the red or the ‘Lohman’ Phase. The sign also shows the difference in settlement pattern, house construction, and house size between the four phases. This exhibit was painted when the building was opened in 1989 and had not painted since (except for the blue which was updated by some volunteers about 5 years ago). There was no interpretive sign except for a foot-tall concrete block with a page on the front that was 30 years old and was no longer legible. This sign and the fresh epoxy paint is a huge facelift for the entrance of our building. It was so badly worn and weathered that about 75% of our visitors walked into it thinking it was the entrance to the building. Very proud of our team for improving this area of our facility!!
The health and safety of our community, visitors, and staff are of the utmost importance during this difficult time.
To further prevent the spread of COVID-19, and in accordance with the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation issued on March 9, 2020, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) today announced the closure of all state parks, fish and wildlife areas, recreational areas, and historic sites as well as the cancellation of upcoming scheduled events.
This includes the Grounds and the Interpretive Center.
We ask for your cooperation in reducing the contagion by not visiting Cahokia Mounds and adhering to social distancing policy.
This closure is indefinite and as more information is available, it will be passed via press release and on our social media outlets and website.
Lori Belknap,
Site Superintendent
Effective immediately, all IDNR-owned properties are closed to the public to help stem the spread of COVID-19. All scheduled events on state property are effectively cancelled; patrons are encouraged to call IDNR’s Parks administrative line Monday through Friday at 217-782-6752 with questions.
Due to COVID-19 and the recommendations of the Governor of Illinois the decision has been made to either cancel or postpone several events. We will continue to post these here and on our Facebook page.
The health and safety of our staff, volunteers and visitors is important to us. While we are taking added precautions if you are sick please do not come visit the site and if you aren’t sick or showing symptoms please wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
Join us for the second of three in our Winter Lecture Series
Sunday February 9th at 2pm. This is a free event.
“ARCHITECTURAL ALIGNMENTS AND LUNAR LANDSCAPES: TRACING THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANGEL COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHWESTERN INDIANA”
Elizabeth Watts Malouchos, Research Scientist at Indiana University’s Glenn Black
Laboratory of Archaeology
Angel Mounds is one of the largest Mississippian mound centers on the northeastern Mississippian frontier. Little is understood about Angel’s relationships with surrounding hinterland communities or with other Mississippian centers in the Midwest. Recent remote-sensing research at Angel and outlying sites suggests aligning residential and mound architecture to the movements of the moon was important for over three centuries and that the broader Angel lunar landscape connected Angel to a Cahokian cosmology and to ancestral Middle Woodland histories.
Beginning February 1 please consult the Illinois Department of Transportation’s website for planned detours while parts of I-255 are closed for a major overhaul.
“While this project will require a complete closure of the interstate to all traffic for one construction season, it enables the project to be completed cheaper, faster and safer.
* Significantly reduces completion time to 10 months, instead of 4 years.
* Saves $14 million.
* Increases worker safety by keeping traffic out of the work zone.
* Reduces accidents by eliminating the need for work zone lane shifts.
The project consists of rehabilitating and resurfacing approximately 7 miles of I-255 from Collinsville Road to Illinois 15 in two sections separated by Interstate 64, with significant bridge repairs, safety improvements and drainage upgrades. This project will restore the roadway and bridges to a smooth and safe condition for motorists and will support future investment in the region.”
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced today that $30.9 million in grants to support 188 humanities projects is awarded to expand access to the country’s wealth of historical resources. Cahokia Mounds Historic Site is among the recipients for the second year. The site is awarded a Digital Projects for the public grant from the NEH in the amount of $250,000 to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) Application and bring pre-Columbian history to life for visitors.
The grant was submitted by the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society (CMMS), the on-site support group at Cahokia Mounds. In 2019, CMMS was awarded a $100,000 Prototype grant to develop a prototype of an Augmented Reality Application. The prototype was developed by Schwartz & Associates Creative, St. Louis, MO. In June 2019, CMMS submitted the prototype and application for the development phase of the project. Both grants are administered by Alie Morgan, Executive Director of the Society, in conjunction with the Site.
“This has been a 5-year project, working closely with the Schwartz team, to develop cutting-edge interpretive pieces at Cahokia Mounds. It is difficult for visitors to visualize what was on the landscape a thousand years ago, a challenge for any archaeological site. This grant will enable us to provide a unique interpretive experience using the newest technologies. Available in 2021, visitors will utilize the camera on any smart device to read a code placed on the landscape. Their device screen will then populate with houses, temples, fires, people, and other features of the Mississippian landscape at around AD 1050, as if it were on the physical landscape before you,” Lori Belknap, Site Superintendent.
Taken from The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Press Release
