A Visit to Cahokia Mounds

Today we visited a new historical place where we have never been before. A little bit of history from Wikipedia: "Cahokia is the site of an ancient indigenous city (ca 600–1400 CE) near Collinsville, Illinois. In the American Bottom floodplain, it is across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The 2,200-acre (8.9 km2) site included 120 man-made earthen mounds over an area of six square miles, although only 80 survive. Cahokia Mounds is the largest archaeological site related to the Mississippian culture, which developed advanced societies in eastern North America centuries before the arrival of Europeans. It is a designated site for state protection and a National Historic Landmark. In addition, it is one of only twenty World Heritage Sites designated in the territory of the United States. It is the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the Americas north of Mexico".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia







We had a great workout climbing up Monks Mound right behind us. The base covers more than 14 acres, and it rises to a height of 100 feet. A massive building once stood on the summit where the principal chief would live, conduct ceremonies and govern.







The place even has a playground for the kiddoes to play. One would think the boys didn't have any energy left to play after climbing up and walking all the trails. We had a great time and the best part was that it was all free.