Cahokia Mounds

Forgot to mention a great place I stopped. Near Collingsville IL is the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. These mounds, some of which are as large as the temple at Tenochtitlan Mexico, were the creation of a people who lived in this area starting around 700 CE, peaking around 1100 CE, and being abandoned in the late 1300s CE. The largest mound, Monks Mound, is the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the Americas; its base covering more than 14 acres and rising to 100 ft high.

There's also a stockade area, and "Woodhenge" a sun calendar. Excavations continue. I took some pictures I'll post later.