LECTURES COMING UP AT CAHOKIA MOUNDS

COLLINSVILLE, IL - Lectures on two major mound sites will be presented at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site March 12 and April 9.  Both lectures are free and open to the public, and will be held in the Interpretive Center auditorium.

 

            Robert Birmingham from the Wisconsin Historical Society will present "A New Look at Ancient Aztalan, a Fortified Mississippian Site in Southern Wisconsin," at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12.  The Aztalan site is thought by some scholars to be a Mississippian outpost that may have been settled by migrants from Cahokia Mounds. Excavations have been conducted there during the past century by various institutions and large segments of the palisade wall have been reconstructed.  Dr. Birmingham will review the past and current research and analysis that has been done, giving new insights into this enigmatic site.

 

            "Kincaid Mounds in Southern Illinois: Bigger Than We Thought," will be the topic of Paul Welch's lecture on Sunday, April 9 at 1:30 p.m.  This multi-mound fortified site on the Ohio River was part of the Mississippian cultural tradition and contemporary with Cahokia Mounds.  However, it appears to have closer connections to other Mississippian sites in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.  Dr. Welch, from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, will review the research that has been done at Kincaid in the past and his current research by SIUC crews, which has included using remote sensing instruments.  They have discovered many archaeological features that indicate that the site is larger than what was once believed.

 

            Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is just eight miles from downtown St. Louis in Collinsville, Illinois, off Interstates 55/70 and 255, and Illinois Route 111, on Collinsville Road. The site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week from April 17 through September 4, and Wednesday through Sunday the rest of the year.  There is no admission fee but a donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children is suggested.  For more information or a Calendar of Events, call (618) 346-5160 or visit www.cahokiamounds.com.