The Dolores star., 1923-09-14

lions Of national Importance. Monks Mound Is
the largest structure of It's kind in the world The
Mississippi valley is dotted with the earth struc
lures of prehistoric peoples and these Cahokia
Mounds are presumably the most important Of
them all from archaeological viewpoint. When
were they built? Who built them? What became
Of the builders?
These same questions were asked of the Illinois
Indians when the first white men set eyes on the
Cahokia Mounds $50 years ago. The answer was
the same then now-"Nobody knows"
These first white men were Joliet and Mar
quette-French explorer and Jesuit priest-who
came down the Mississippi in 1873 from Canada
by canoe In 1875 the famous Jesuit founded
mission among the Indians Kaskaskia LaSalle
began his operations in the Mississippi Valley In
1873 by building Fort Creve on the Illinois river
at Peoria. Then the French settled all along the
east side of the Mississippi from Cahokia TO Fort
Chartres. Until the English wrested Canada from
France in 1865 all this region was French The
French staid on, with the British as overlOrds
Then came the Revolution and George Rogers
Clarks splendid military coup with results that
made the American march across the continent in
evitable-Of which later.
First, TO the Cahokia Mounds: The nlustra-
tons herewith are by courtesy of Prof Warren
X. Moorehead and are from article by Robert
Fl. MOulton in America Today, Chicago. with the
title, Movement Is Launched TO Preserve Prehs-
torc Mounds in Illinois" This article contains
the following:
There is in Illinois group of relics that stand
to the prehistoric Indian culture Of the United
States as the pyramids do to that of Egypt-the
Cahokia Mounds near East St. Louis. including
the Monks Mound the largest known mass of earth
ever built up by the labor OF human hands
Notwithstanding the fact that the Egyrtian
pyramids masses of stone and that they stand
In region without value, they have been partially
demolished. Complete destruction would before
now have been their fate in all probability had
the Egyptian pyramids been great earthworks and
the surrounding land needed for Industrial deve
opment. warning sounded by Professor
Warren X. Moorehead the weknown archeolo-
gist and largely through his efforts movement
has been started to have the of Illinois pur
chase the entire Cahokla Mound region for r.irk
purposes. A bill having in view the preservation
of these mounds failed of passage in the Illinois
legislature in 1913 1t appears, however, that 1t
was not so much the cost of the land that deferred
the state legislature from acting favoraby in the
matter, as the question raised by to
whether the mounds We're built by man or were
natural formation, Notwithstanding that there
has never been any doubt in the minds of archie
ologtsts as to their artificial construction
To set at rest all doubts in the matter, Profes
sor MoOrehead with the cooperation of the Uni
versity of Illinois, Phillips Academy Of Andover
Mass, and a number of individuals, began a series
or explorations Of several of the mounds during
the fall of 1921 and continued them the following
spring with the most gratifying results Pottery
fragments in great abundance, large quantities of
flint chips, animal bones and many complete
human burias unearthed at considerable depths in
several of the mounds prove conclusivey that they
are the work of human hands. 1t is the belief of
Professor Moorehead that the largest of the group
Monks Mound, so-caed because of the presence
there of the Trappists during short period be-
tween 1908 and 1913, n very long time in the
building dnd that 1t probably was begun as a re-
postory for the dead That is certain burials
were made and other small mounds added as buri-
ais took place. Finally the structure became so
large that the natives made it into pyramid
added the upper terraces and used the top as n
place Of residence.
while practically all of the Cahokia proup Of
mounds, 72 in number remain their external CON
tour mas altered since the pioneers in Cahokia mr..
cheoiogy gave us clear word pictures of condition.
as they existed several generations ago In all
written accounts of the mounds most attention
seems to have been concentrated on the ,oryeo,
tumuus known as Monks Mound In fact nearIv
aii ehe descriptions center in this ranking struc