  At Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is preserved the central
section of the largest prehistoric Native American city
north of Mexico. Occupied from 700 to 1400, the city grew
to cover 4,000 acres, with a population of between ten and
twenty thousand at its peak around 1100. The site is dominated
by the hundred-foot-tall Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric
earthen mound in the Americas. In 1966 Cahokia Mounds was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places and in
1983 was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Cahokia Mounds preserves sixty-eight of the original 120
earthen mounds built by pre-historic Native Americans. Visitors
may climb a stairway to the top of Monks Mound, where interpretive
signs provide an explanation of the impressive view. Other
physical features include a reconstructed stockade wall
and “Woodhenge,” a circle of posts around a
large central post from which the sunrise can be aligned
to determine the season and time of year.
Prairie grasses at several locations offer glimpses of
native area vegetation. The site also has a day-use area
with picnic shelters.
The Interpretive Center houses museum exhibit galleries,
an orientation show theater, a public programming auditorium,
museum shop, a snack-food service, public restrooms, staff
offices, and a courtyard for educational programs. Programs
at Cahokia Mounds are organized around the Interpretive
Center. Exhibit galleries and an award-winning orientation
show, “City of the Sun,” describe the Native
Americans who lived there as well as the site’s historic
and archeological significance. A “mural walk”
booklet explaining the exhibit gallery murals is available
for loan at the information desk. The visitor center is
accessible to persons with disabilities.
During June, July, and August guided tours are conducted
Monday through Saturday. During April, May, September and
October, guided tours are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays.
The site offers three trails for self-guided tours. Along
the Plaza, Monks Mound, and Woodhenge trails visitors can
view some of the site’s most significant historic
and archeological features. Cassette tapes and guidebooks
to these trails may be obtained at the Interpretive Center.
Both are available in several languages, and the guidebook
is also available in Braille.
 A
6.2-mile Nature/Culture Trail passes through more remote
areas, which include various wetland, forest, and grassland
environments, and the mile-long Prairie State Nature Walk
features flora and fauna of the area. Booklets relating
to these trails may be obtained at the Interpretive Center.
The site hosts a number of special events, including a
series of scholarly lectures, storytelling days, summer
field schools, annual equinox and solstice observances,
“Kids’ Day,” and a “Native Harvest
Festival.” Contact the site for details. The Cahokia
Mounds Museum Society supports site programs through operation
of the Interpretive Center Museum Shop.
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
30 Ramey Street
Collinsville, Illinois 62234
(618) 346-5160
Email: cahokia.mounds@sbcglobal.net
 
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