Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Interpretive Center
A Confluence Attraction

Contact
(618) 346-5160

Participating Confluence Organization
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Hours
Interpretive Center 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
Grounds 8:00 a.m. to dusk, Wednesday through Sunday
Closed on major and federal holidays; check website.

Location
30 Ramey Street
Collinsville IL 62234

Directions
(By car) From I-55/70 in Illinois (reached from downtown St. Louis via the Poplar Street Bridge), exit Illinois Route 111 North.
(By Metro transit) From the MetroLink light rail system, exit at the Emerson Park Station in East St. Louis and transfer to Bus #6 to Cahokia Mounds. Call Metro at (314) 231-2345 for transit schedules and fare information.

History
The Mississippian community of Cahokia, inhabited from around 700 A.D. to 1400 A.D., stood roughly at the center of a vast network of Mississippian communities, stretching across much of the land now occupied by the United States. The communities had developed a system of commerce among themselves based on unique products from each site, for instance, pottery, shells or metals. Cahokia’s population peaked at 20,000 around 1100 A.D. and the site’s decline has been linked closely to overharvesting of the wood on which the community depended.

Features
The State Park includes 68 of the original 120 earthen mounds once covering 4,000 acres. The 100-foot-high Monks Mound at the center of the complex is the largest prehistoric mound in the New World.

Cahokia Mounds has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark.

The Interpretive Center offers fascinating exhibits, a large diorama and an audio-visual presentation on Cahokia and its culture, facilitated by interpreters. The site also hosts special events, classes, lectures, tours and other programs.

For more information about Cahokia Mounds, see
http://www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/cahokia_mounds.htm

For more information about nearby attractions, see
http://www.thetourismbureau.org