Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-08-18
JUST WHO MADE THEM YET is
UNKNOWN.
NUMEROUS IN MISSOURI
One Pyramid, the Largest in North
America, Rises 100 Feet Above
the Original Surface-Many I'm.
portant Implements Turned Up
by the Pillow.

river, Ior some oO or Oh miles, the
Mississippi is bordered on the east
by a rich alluvial plain. once the CEN
ter, according to modern archeolo.
gists, of a large population of pre-
historic inhabitants. These early
inhabitants built in this region, gen.
orally known as "the American Bot.
TOM" a series of mounds that are
still visible, among them Cahokia.
the largest native earthwork in
America, situated not far from mod.
ern st. Louis and named in honor of
i the CahoSias, an extinct tribe of
American Indians. Although com,
paratively little can now be known
about the history of this interesting
section, where the farmers pillow has
already lowered and altered the
shape of many of the mounds, the re.
gion is considered the richest in the
country in possible future discover.
les OF archaeological Importance. and.
In recent publication of the Pea
body museum of American archeoIo.
gy and ethnology, d. /. Bushnell. Jr..
has described the appearance of the
group as the mounds looked when
first seen by European eyes: their
history, so far as it can be at pres
ent surmised. and the various objects
that have already been unearthed in
their vicinity. "The large number
OF unusually large mounds that stood
formerly on either side of the Missi-
ssippi, and the great quantity of pre-
historic implements and utensils that
have been discovered" says Mr..
Bushnell, mark that region as an
important center of population of the
prehistoric tribes OF North America -
The Cahokia group of mounds
stand near the center of the Ameri-
can Bottom, about six miles distant
from the river and just south Of Ca
hokia creek, small waterway that
may have easily served the original
mound-builders as a connecting link
with the Mississippi, and thus with
a far spreading area of prehistoric
North America. The main group
which surrounds the truncated rec.
tangular pyramid chat giant Caho-
kia still rises 100 feet above the orig.
inal surface, includes some 67
mounds. Extending from this group
in direction south of west, chain
of large mounds end in group of
smaller ones near the Mississippi
and, before st. Louis occupied the
site, some 20 or more mounds stood
| hA oil
north of Cahokla stands a group of
IL mounds with several isolated
earthworks not very far distant
| Other smaller elevations have prob
ably entirely disappeared under ages
or cultivation Cahokia itself has
been partly cultivated and is often
spoken of as Monks mound In
, memory of Trappist monks WHO
, planted their wheat on its summit
nearly century ago. These monks
when the explorer Brakenbrfdge Wis
tied them in 1911. were living in sew
eral cabins located on one Of the
smaller elevations, probably the one
Immediately southwest of Cahokia
In referring to Cahoicia, itself, he
says: "The step or apron has been
used as kitchen garden, and the top
is sowed with wheat"
Taken as a whole these remarkable
artificial elevations. built by the mys.
terious mound-builders. about whom
SO much has been written and so lit
tie ever definitely discovered, are
rectangular or conlcal in shape.
Cahokia itself apparently consisted
oil series Of high terraces. the area
OF the base being about 16 acres. Re.
garding the name Cahokia. Prof
! Putnam Of the Harvard Peabody
museum, has said: "While there Is
not the slightest evidence that the
! Cahokias of the time of La Sale
were the builders of this, or of other
mounds in the vicinity, it is a graft.
hcation to be able TO perpetuate the
rame OF an extinct tribe of American
Indians, in connection with thig mon.
ument of an unknown American ma.
ton, rather than that of a religious
order of foreign origin" These Ca.
hokias were one of the two Illinois
tTibes-the other was the Tamaoas,
who have been left so far without
any memorial whatever-freauentl
mentioned by early explorers of the
Mississippi valley. They are now
very much part of the ancient his
tory Of North America. The site of
an ancient village of Cahokia and
Tamaoas, visited by Charlevo1x in
1921, after the two tribes had been
amalgamated, was probably not very
far from the present settlement
which perpetuates the name of the
former tribe; and 1t is here that the
party OF Tamaoas taken to France
in 1920 may have returned after their
visit to the gay French capital and
their presentation to royalty. In
1859 Pontiac was murdered near the |
same village.
Just why the mounds were butt is