+ v = ae vg CAHOKIA, OR ‘“MONK'S MOUND, MADISON COUNTY, ILL. ° : : . V/ ADISON COUNTY is rich in antiquities. Its central geographical position, and its peculiar geological formation, in ancient times, as well as now, made it a great centre of’ natural resources, and the ancient popu- Boag lation had their great central works in this locality. The greatest Ney ar, Te mounds in the United States are here, and it is really the Egypt of Ame- rica with its pyramids and tumuli looming up from the rich valley of | ; the Mississippi in wepenunte and grandeur, rivaling in in interest those of sf ie pip the Nile - oid Within the ten shila square of alluvial bottom in this county are more than one hundred mounds of considerable dimensions. The largest of these mounds are on the bank of the Cahokia creek five or six miles from Kast St. Louis. This group contains : seventy-two mounds, the majority of which are situated on a'square mile. The largest by pene gh Seren ‘mound is in the centre of the group and is known as the Cahokia or Monks’ Mound, de- fae riving its latter name from the fact that in the early history of the county some of the order of La Trappe settled near and for a. time occupied the mound. These monks lived in strict and silent seclusion, eat no meat and lived upon the most frugal and homely diet. of the colony departed for whence they came. In this connection we prefer the name of Cahokia Mound since it _perpetuates the | name of a tribe of Indians met by La Salle in. this vicinity, who gave their name to the ereek. . The dear of the Cahokia Mound is a me NET with straight sacle! the longer of ae are north and south. It isabout one hundred feet in height. 4 os the southern end, some 30 feet above the base, 1s a terrace or pe containing near 4 oe * a hs ee Several of them soon succumbed to the malarial influences of the climate, and the remainder | Shy ee CL Bh Gp ae > : : ames cs eh Min - eo oe = oe - aN x= a emiges. =, i =. ee — The top of the mound is flat and divided i into two parts, the Ban ae end b 4 or 5 feet higher than the southern portion. The summit contains about an acre and Near the middle of the first terrace, at the base of the mound, is a projecting apparently the remains of a graded pathway to ascend from the plain to the terrace. ~The west side of the mound below the sétond terrace is very irregular, and forms projecting MF knobs, separated by deep ravines, probably the result of rain-storms; to the northwest corner of the base of the structure there seems to be a small mound attached, in exact imitation of the small mounds attached to the base of the pyramids of Egypt as well as those of Mexico. The remaining sides of the structure are quite straight and but little defaced by the hand of time. t About the sides of the mound are still growing several forest trees, one of which is an elm several centuries old. s As the size of the Cahokia Mound has been given variously we applied to Mr. B. J. Vancourt, a practical surveyor living in the vicinity, at O’Fallen, and whom we knew had made a regular survey of the mound. Mr. Vancourt sent us the following : | Nid ‘Tn my survey I did not follow the irregularities of the mound, but made straight lines | enclosing the base. The largest axis is from north to south and is 998 feet, the shortest OSG i from east to west is 721 feet. The height of the mound is 99 feet. The base of the struc- ee ture covers 16 acres, 2 roods and 3 perches of ground.” Our own survey made the base somewhat less than sixteen acres in extent, it being somewhat dificult to point out the precise line where the structure begins to rise from the i plain. Mei i laa The base of the Cahokia pyramid covers more ground than any pyramid of Egypt, and prs with the exception of Cholula, which is, however, simply a mass of ruins, the Cahokia is the largest in the world. . The great pyramid of Bgypt—Cheope, j is 746 feet square. The temple of Mexico was. 680 feet square. | ie The summit and lower terrace of the Cahokia Mound has been plowed a few times. 3 _ Brackenridge who visited the mound in 1811, says that the monks used the lower terrace ear for a kitchen garden, and also had the summit of the structure sown in wheat. The great pyramid has not been materially changed, however, and doubtless presents the same out- lines to-day as at the time of the discovery of this continent by Columbus. — Since some doubts have been expressed as to the artificial origin of this structure we were much interested to ascertain what could be learned in this respect by examination. On the top of the pyramid are the remains of a house, said to have been commenced by the monks, but afterwards added to and finished as a comfortable residence for the family of a man named Hill, an enterprising settler who owned the mound and a large body of land adjoin. s ANTIQUITIES OF MONKS’ MOUND. - 3 . Sea shell, Busycon perversum, an uncut specimen one-fourth natural size. . 10. Fine water vessels representing the human form one-quarter natural size. . Neat vessel with two human faces, one on the rim one-eighth natural size. co CO J . Vessel representing bear one-quarter natural size. 11, Recumbent human figure with the neck of the vessel arising from middle of body, one-fifth natural size. 12. Like No. 11, a unique water vessel, one-fifth natural size. 13, 14, 15. Fine earthen vessels one-half natural size, on which are carefully painted certain figures that probably refer to their religion. Although we have found many painted vessels and somewhat similar figures in Madison county, we have thought best to copy a few illustrations from the reports of the St. Louis Academy of Science. The originals of the figures from 11 to 15 inclusive, were found on the Missouri side of the Mississippi below St. Louis, and are now in the collections of the Academy of Major Hilder of St. Louis. The remainder of the objects figured on Plate 1, as well as Plate 2, are in my own collection, and were obtained from Madison county. DESCRIPTION OF PLATE NO, 2, 1, 2,3, 4. Finely made vessels of burned clay, probably representing ducks, The illustrations explain themselves better than a description. 5. Water vessels that, with the preceding and near a hundred others, were found in an ancient burial place at the foot of the great Cahokia Mound. a kins a. = 10 ANTIQUITIES OF MONK'S MOUND. 6. Copper from the mounds. The figure on the right is a copper axe, the next a crescent head ornament, beneath which is a copper bracelet and ornamental tube. To the left of the copper crescent is a spear point, a plummet and a smaller axe, all of beaten native copper. ~ : . 7. On the left is a polished flint axe, a rare and beautiful implement, as also is the diorite axe on the right. They are perfectly smooth, the marks in chipping and manufac- ture being ground away, then polished. This is not the common form of the stone weapon so commonly seen, but exactly represents the form of European ground flint-axes, and is rarely found in this country. Both of these are from mounds in Jersey county. We have two similar ones from Madison, but they are broken. 8. Two skulls found with the pottery at the foot of the great Cahokia Mound. The one on the right is a common form of the crania with the pottery. The one on the left is not uncommon, and may be the: result of artificial flattening, although the appearance of the rounded frontal bone, would indicate otherwise. They are both nearly entire. 9,10, 11, 12. Finely finished pipes of red catlinite and found in the mounds; the bird pipe on the left is in the collection of Shurtleff college, and was found on the Gillham farm below Wood river. No. 12 is remarkable as showing a sort of beard on the side of the face. It is of stone and found with the pottery. 14, 15, 16. Stone images. Probably used in religious or other important cere- monies. In each there are two funnel-shaped cavities in the back and posterior portions that have led some to believe they might have been used as pipes on great occasions. No, 16 is a splendid specimen of stone carving, and was found in a small mound on the Piasa creek, near the north-line corner of Madison county. It stands about (8) inches high and is cut from a single block of hard, red catlinite, or Minnesota pipe stone. The original is now the property of Blackburn University. No. 14 is also of red catlinite, of finé workmanship, and exhibits a hideous human form with a fish protruding from the wide open mouth, with another fish held in the hands between the knees. We also took this from a small mound on the banks of the Mississippi, near the mouth of the Illinois. No. 16 is also of red catlinite, and was found by some laborers making a new highway or public road, not far from the great Cahokia Mound. It was broken into several pieces by the plow, and the head is wanting. We obtained the original from the Missouri His- torical Society, and made the restoration as given in the cut. The original was made from a single block of stone, very neatly carved and highly polished. The builders of the Cahokia mounds, from the relic left behind, seem to have been of a peaceful character rather than warriors. Some of the finest impleraents Tapa P mY * ANTIQUITIES OF MONKS’ MOUND. 1) of stone from this vicinity are implements of agriculture. Hoes not very unlike in shape to those of iron in present use, were made of flint, and with such skill as to be very serviceable tools, Spades and digging tools of flint also, and we have several fine implements that are worn in such manner and of such peculiar shape as to indicate that they were fastened to a stock and pulled through the soil after the manner of a plow. Some of these implements of agriculture, doubt- less used in the cultivation of corn, are among the most valued of the relies of the stone age. We have no evidence that this people had any knowledge of metals, except, copper. They used both iron and lead ores as a stone, and both these ores are frequently found in their mounds. The age corresponding to that of bronze in Europe was a copper age on the Mississippi. Our mound-builders knew nothing of tin. Copper ornaments were not uncommon (see illustrations) here, and were made by beating out pieces of native copper, obtained apparently from the region of Lake Superior, where the mines were worked quite extensively. The domain of this people must have been of great extent or their com- mercial relations extended very widely, for we find side by side copper from Su- perior, pluinbago and mica from the: East, obsidian from Mexico or the west, and shells from the Atlantic . coast. ‘ What became of the mound-builders is not known; living as they did in communities about the alluvial lands of the rivers and streams, they were no doubt subject to epidemics and plagues, and thus were either destroyed or so weakened as to fall a prey to the nomadic tribes whom we now know as their successors. Even “Lo! the poor savage whose untutored mind.” bears no record in history to tell whence he came. . There is still another class of antiquities in Madison county, found in the caverns and cane shelters along the rocky bluffs above Alton. The aborigines, such as we see in the red Indian, it is well known seldom used a cavern, or even entered one, having a superstitious fear of such places; still it is quite probable that they were sometimes driven by storms or otherwise , to accept such shelters. Notwithstanding these facts in regard to the habits of the red. men, the caves and cave shelters about the bluffs show numerous evi- dences of occupation in times past. Accumulations of ashes in these caves are not uncommon, showing that for long periods these places were inhabited by sav- age men, who lived on the flesh of animals, and also of the unsavory shell fish 12 ANTIQUITIES OF MONKS’ MOUND. found along the shore of the Mississippi. Large accumulations of the shells of the Unio and other shell fish are found near these old cavernous abodes. 3 Nor are the indications entirely wanting that they did not sometimes partake of human flesh and were cannibals. In several of the caves about the Piasa, and in the vicinity of the mouth of the Illinois river, we have found among the de- bris of these cave dwellings human bones that had been broken lengthwise, ap- parently to extract the marrow. Farther up on the Illinois river, Judge Henderson and others have found similar evidences of apparent cannibalism. The implements left by these cave dwellers are very rude. We have some beads made of stalactite, as well as a few rude implements of the same material. As these cav- ernous retreats have not been thoroughly explored, much interesting information may be derived from this source. To sum up the ethnology of Madison county it would seem that there are to be found many traces of men of whom we know but little, except that they were the merest savages, living almost like the wild beasts with whom they fiercely disputed for dominion. Then comes a class of earthen mounds that seem very old, but which contain little or nothing to furnish data for any history whatever. Then there suddenly seems to intrude a class of earthen mounds, some of which are of huge dimensions. These people seemed to have a systematic government and religion, and to have followed agricultural pursuits. They seemed to have passed the pale of savagery, and advanced to some of the higher planes of barbarism. They lived in great communities, generally occupying the. low lands which they cultivated. The fact that these people had so many customs, and singular ceremonies, almost exactly like the barbarous nations of the old world, would indicate that there was a remote period of contact, and that the commencement of civilization may have had a common origin or started from a common centre. Solon’s story of Atlantis as told by Plato and learned by Solon of the Egyptian priests is the only theory, in our opinion, that explains the wonderful similarity of the custom as exhibited all over the» world. Solon’s story was that at one time a vast island, or rather a continent in extent, existed in what is mow the ocean,. and connected Europe, Asia, Africa and America. This great island was two thousand miles long and one thousand miles wide. It was densely populated, and the centre of all civilization, which spread from here through commercial relations. In one awful day this great Empire sank beneath the sea, and the surrounding continents kept not only a tradition of the great catastrophe as a. flood, but retained many of the customs learned from them. 4 “4, in rehbng A ; Sha) By " ANTIQUITIES OF MONKS’ MOUND. es, Whether our great mound builders were a colony from Atlantis and founded an empire on the Mississippi, we are hardly prepared to prove. They disappeared, and the latter Indians, a large portion of whom are ro- mantic, succeeded them; from where, how, when, are questions we cannot answer, but we are diligently gathering together as story a leaf here and there, that are east up like empty shells on the shores of time. . - 4 . é fin ain ay ae 2 4 ede