Illinois 2012

Our last visit for this RV trip was to Freeburg, Illinois to visit friends Andrea and Randy. Randy was on a 12 month senior officer command course with me in Canberra in 1999 and we have stayed in touch. As well as catching up with them a few times in 2003 during my military posting here in America, we have also visited them during 3 of our 6 US RV trips. Randy is an Air Force Colonel (Security Forces) and Andrea is a school teacher.

Trish and Randy 

We only had an overnight visit with them, but we tried to make the most of it by arriving by lunch time and having lunch with Andrea. We just picked up a hot chicken and some fresh bread rolls on our way to their home, added sliced avocado and tomatoes from our fridge, and presto, a tasty lunch. Randy was at work, so after lunch Andrea drove Murray and I out to visit a nearby World Heritage site known as the Cahokia Mounds.

The Cahokia Mounds are the largest prehistoric Indian site north of Mexico. Murray and I have visited Indian mounds in other states before, but nothing on the scale of this one. Unbelievable! The Mississippi River was only a few miles to the West and it was a vital trade and agricultural center for the tribes of the time. This community constructed  'mounds' by piling dirt and then building dwellings on top for the more senior members of the organisation. The lower echelons had huts on the ground. Apparently this race had a complex social and political structure, with the 'leader' living on top of the highest mound of all. From the top of the 'Monks Mound' (today there are 156 steps to get to the top) which has a footprint of 14 acres which makes it larger than the base of Egypt's largest pyramid  They also had a version of Stonehenge called Woodhenge. Their 'sun calendar' was erected with wooden posts that were aligned with the rising sun of the Spring and Fall equinoxes, and the Winter and Summer solstices. Amazing.

Artists recreation of the Cahokian Woodhenge

Cahokia became the regional center of all the tribes living up and down the Mississippi River in what are now the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. As well as the physical mounds that you can see as you drive around, there is a comprehensive interpretive centre that houses many artefacts recovered by archaeologists since excavations began in the area. Entry is free, but donations are welcome. I read that the mounds were originally discovered back in 1811 by a historian who was exploring the surrounding prairies, but no one was interested at the time. My understanding is that the area was re-discovered during excavations for a highway interchange and it was eventually listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1964.  Archaeologists continue to work on the site (4,000 acres) and their findings are displayed and preserved for us all to appreciate. 

According to a website (http://www.cahokiamounds.org/learn/), "the city of Cahokia was inhabited from about A.D. 700 to 1400. At its peak ... 10,000 to 20,000 people lived here." Historians can't explain what happened to the Cahokians, but the area was apparently abandoned around 1300 AD. There has been no evidence of anything catastrophic happening or of any disease epidemic. Thoughts are that drought or decline in the available resources could have forced them out of the area, or a challenge to leadership being another suggestion. We watched a 15 minute video about the area which was very informative and helped us gain a better appreciation of the physical displays we saw. The Center has done a fantastic job displaying the items as well as showing a typical archaelogical dig site listing each item and its use. There is also an impressive replica of a section of the village with full-size Indian adults and children carrying out typical activities of the time. If you are ever near St Louis, this area is only about 10 miles East over the Mississippi River from St Louis, and well worth a visit.

Andrea and Trish in front of Cahokia photo

On our way back home, Andrea drove us past the world's largest catsup (now known as ketchup) bottle! It was built in 1949. The steel tower is 100 feet tall and the bottle on top is 70 feet high. Randy was waiting for us at home, and we walked across to a nearby Mexican restaurant for a huge Margarita and a nice dinner. The next morning we headed West to Kansas City to store the RV and fly home once again. Hopefully to enjoy another RV USA adventure again next year!

World's largest ketchup bottle