Sunday Speaker Series
April 16: Cahokia Mounds 
 

Cahokia Mounds represents the largest prehistoric native city north of Mexico—and it’s only about 300 miles southwest of Lake County! A UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Illinois State Historic site, Cahokia Mounds was the cultural, religious and economic center of the Mississippian Culture.

Anthropologist and archeologist Bill Iseminger will join us on April 16 to share the incredible science and mystery of the Cahokia Mounds. The author of Cahokia Mounds: America’s First City  and Identifying and Understanding Artifacts of Illinois and Neighboring States, Bill recently retired as the site’s manager yet remains involved with tours and study.

Register now to join us on April 16.

Cahokia was a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city rivaling London in size between 700 and 1400. At its peak, around 1100, it covered more than 4,000 acres and had more 20,000 inhabitants. There is evidence that people traveled to the urban center from Wisconsin, Louisiana and Georgia.

At one point, the city included about 120 massive pyramids built of earth and wood—without heavy tools, horses, wagons or carts. Only baskets and human labor were used to move the dirt and build the mounds. In the past 1,000 years, these extraordinary creations have eroded into grassy mounds.

Bill’s presentation is another in a series of family-friendly nature and environmental stewardship talks sponsored by the Woods & Wetlands Group. Programs are held at 7 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. They are free and open to the public. Advance registration is required for login instructions.

Register for April 16 presentation.

Photo: Bill Iseminger