POPE/MASSAC COs., Ill. - The whole of Illinois (and indeed, pretty much most of the Midwest as well as the east and southeast) is dotted with what many call "Native American burial mounds."
You know what we're talking about; those mounds that sit in a field that farmers tried to plow down over the years, until in these past several decades or so, "someone" decided that the local Indian tribes long ago were the ones that created them, therefore they need to be "protected." They're all over the place, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a downstate Illinoisan who doesn't know where at least one of these mounds is located.
A lot of people in the scientific fields don't believe that's the explanation for these mounds, however, as most of the time there's no evidence of burial at all in them (when they're excavated, at any rate, or hit with sonar), and therefore, their existence remains a mystery (to some). Others in the field believe that the mounds - especially the big ones, like Monks Mound over at Cahokia Mounds - were simply structural creations to raise housing above flood levels. And still others believe that the really big ones - including Monks Mound, but also others the world over - predate the natives in America and other countries and may have served some other purpose, given that many of these structures appear pyramidic, and in fact under Monks Mound, there is a stone structure, and even deeper under the mound, it's been proven there are tunnels that run under the Mississippi River and into St. Louis, connecting to the little-known cave and cavern system under the city.
We'll go into pyramids another day and on another post. This one, for the time being, is about local mounds...and an opportunity you have to be a part of a program at some famous ones down south a ways.
On Saturday, October 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Kincaid Mounds Support Organization will present a program at the Kincaid Mounds Historic Site.
Formal presentations on the Mississippian Culture and results of excavations by SIU-Summer Field Schools will begin at 10 a.m., at 12 noon, and at 2 p.m. There will be artifact displays, information tables, and a walking tour to Mound 8 (an unusual situation, as ordinarily, no one is allowed on or around any of the mounds, but must view them from an observation platform right off the road). The group advises to wear hiking shoes if you're planning on doing the walking tour.
The program is free to the public. There will be a restroom facility available, but no refreshments will be made available, as this location is really in the wilderness, right on the county line of Pope and Massac (and as a matter of fact, the roads can be horrible down there, as it's right on the Ohio River and backwater covers the dirt roads frequently, dragging up with them all kinds of debris and detritus; we found this out back in April when we went out there and caught a nail in a tire.)
For those who aren't aware of the site, Kincaid Mounds is located 10 miles east of Brookport, Illinois, in Massac County. From the northern edge of Brookport on Route 45, turn east on Unionville Road, go 6.26 miles to New Cut Road, then turn south and travel 3.6 miles to Kincaid Mounds Road. On your GPS (and program it in early, as there's VERY little signal out there), it's 37 degrees 4'47.10"N by 88 degrees 29'25.53"W.
For more information, visit Kincaid Mounds' website, or contact kincaidmoundsorg@gmail.com, and Facebook-Kincaid Mounds Support Organization.