Using Geoarchaeological Methods to Identify Intact Buried Mounds at the Mitchell Site, Illinois

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Advances in Geoarchaeology and Environmental Archaeology Perspectives on Earthen-Built Constructions" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Mitchell site is a major Mississippian (1050–1400 CE) mound center located roughly 10 km north of Cahokia Mounds, Illinois, the largest mound center in North America. At a minimum, Mitchell consisted of 11 earthen mounds; however, only one mound is visible today. In 1960, salvage investigations, including limited mound excavations and widespread trenching across other areas of the Mitchell site were conducted in advance of new interstate (I-270) construction. As this work occurred prior to the National Historic Preservation Act, several of the mounds were bulldozed and utilized for highway construction fill, and three were left partially intact but were buried under highway cone fill. In advance of current Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) proposed lane widening of I-270, the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) had the opportunity to review notes and materials from the 1960s salvage excavations and conduct new geoarchaeological investigations to determine the extent of remaining intact mound deposits. Employing minimally invasive terrestrial sediment coring, lidar analysis, and historic image review, we determined intact mound deposits are likely preserved underneath modern fill at several documented mound locations. This recent work allows for more informed preservation and avoidance planning to protect the mounds from further destruction.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Advances in Geoarchaeology and Environmental Archaeology Perspectives on Earthen-Built Constructions   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39302.0