FAIRMONT CITY, Ill. (KMOX) – “Cahokia Mounds and its surrounding sites are as significant as the Pyramids of Egypt,” and that’s why Ed Weilbacher, with Heartlands Conservancy, says the push continues in the Illinois legislature to raise Cahokia Mounds to National Historic Park status.
Weilbacher says the Mounds’ proposal certainly has plenty going for it.
“Cahokia Mounds had a population bigger than London’s at one time,” he says. “They had these other communities that were linked socially and economically because they had such surpluses they were able to trade back and forth.”
The kicker, he adds, was a new site uncovered during construction of the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, which includes artifacts that will help fill in critical historical gaps and boost the Mounds’ candidacy for the federal designation.
After legislation calling for Cahokia Mounds to be designated as a National Historic Park stalled in 2014, state representative Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton) has once again introduced a measure this year to nationally recognize the largest pre-Columbian archaeological site in the United States.
“This resolution urges President Obama and Congress to recognize the significance of the Cahokia Mounds and the remnants of the largest Native American civilization in the United States,” Costello says. “Elevating the Mounds to a National Historic Park will help ensure that these ancient archaeological resources are protected and accessible for all people to experience.”
House Joint Resolution 23 is a result of 13 public meetings, media interviews, stakeholder meetings, outreach to 13 Native American tribes and nearly 900 surveys.
The results show local communities would benefit from a revitalized and protected historic site with new and improved educational programs to teach about the Mississippian culture, its significance to the region, and associated historical themes.
“It’s the largest earthen work north of Mexico,” says Laura Lyon, with Heartlands Conservancy. “It has cultural traditions. It’s along the Mississippi – it’s why it was here at the Mississippi.”
“Creating the Mississippian Culture National Historial Park at Cahokia Mounds will recognize its unique national significance in agriculture, ancestral ties and status as one of America’s first cities,” Costello says. “I call upon the president and Congress to preserve the great historical and cultural significance of southwestern Illinois and embrace our nation’s earliest heritage.”
Click here for more information about the effort to attain federally recognized status for Cahokia Mounds.
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