The Holly chieftain., 1923-09-06


dons of national Importance Monks Mound is
the largest structure Of Its 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 an archaeological viewpoint When
were they builti Who built them3 What became
Of the buildersf
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 1878 from Canada
by canoe In 1875 the famous Jesuit founded
mission among the Indians at Kaskaskia LaSalle
began his operations in the Mississippi Valley In
1879 by building Fort Creve 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 1785 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
Svitable-of which more later.
First, as to the Cahokia Mounds: The iliustra-
lions herewith are by courtesy Of Prof Warren
4. Moorehead and are from an article by Robert
ii. Moulton In America Today, Chicago with the
title, Movement Is Launched to Preserve Prehis-
toric Mounds In Illinois," This article contains
the following:
There is in Illinois group of relics that stand
20 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 Egyptian
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 devel-
opment A warning was sounded by Professor
Warren X. Moorehead the well-known archeolo-
gist and largely through his efforts a movement
has been started to have the state of Illinois pur
chase the entire Cahokia Mound region for park
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 much the cost of the land that deferred
the state legislature from acting favorably In the
matter, as the question raised by some as to
whether the mounds were built by man or were
natural formation, notwithstanding that there
has never been any doubt In the minds OF archie
ologists as to their artificial construction
To set at rest all doubts In the matter, Profess
sor Moorehead, with the cooperation of the Uni
versity of Illinois, Phillips Academy of Andover
Mass, and n number of individuals, began series
of 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 burials unearthed at considerable depths In
several Of the mounds prove conclusvely that they
are the work of human hands 1t is the belief of
Professor Moorehead that the largest of the group
Monks Mound, so-called because of the presence
there of the Trappists during a short period be-
tween 1908 and 1913, very long time in the
building and that It probably was begun as re-
pository for the dead. That is certain burials
were made and other small mounds added rs burl-
ais took place. Finally the structure became so
large that the natives made 1t into pyramid,
added the upper terraces and used the Top as a
place of residence.
While practically all of the Cahokia group of
mounds y in number, remain their external CON
tour has altered since the pioneers In Caokia ar
cheology euve us clear word pictures Of conditions
as they existed several generatons ago In NIL
written accounts of the mounds most attention
seems TO have been concentrated on the largest
.u,nnlus known as Monks Mound. In fact nearly
ell tire descriptions center in this ranking struc.