We've all heard about the incredible civilizations built by the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs, but did you know that before it was the United States of America, this land was home to huge and technologically advanced indigenous societies too? The largest of these was called Cahokia and was built 1000 years ago by the Mississippian culture. They built all kinds of complex structures in a city that was more populous than London was at the same time, but the biggest and most enduring structures were huge earth mounds. Cahokia featured more than 120 of them and the very largest mound was a stunning feat of engineering. At it's base it was as large as the Great Pyramid of Giza and it was constructed by Mississippians moving soil and clay by the bucketful. Today, this mound remains the largest earthworks in North America. It is a hugely important historical site. Which is why its name, Monks Mound, must be changed. 

The Mississippians lived in Cahokia from about 1050-1350 CE. In the hundreds of years after they dispersed, many other groups of people have lived on or near the mounds they built. Around 1800, much of the land was claimed by the French. One of these Frenchmen deeded part of the land to a group of French Trappist monks, who lived near the largest mound and farmed on part of it from 1809-1813. During the very short time the Monks were there, a politician rode through collecting intelligence for the War of 1812. He saw the monks, saw the mound, and named it Monks Mound. It’s been called that ever since. These monks lived there for FOUR YEARS, had absolutely nothing to do with the engineering or construction of this, the largest earthworks in North America, and are immortalized with the name of it anyway. 

We first learned about Cahokia and the unfortunate naming of Monks Mound from Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's book An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People. She speculates that the name should be changed to honor the Mississippians who built the mound. So we searched the internet to see if anyone had tried before. We found no petitions or articles on this subject. So we called the Museum Society at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. They too had not heard of any campaigns to change the name. 

We call on the State of Illinois and the US Board of Geographic Names, under the umbrella of the USGS, to change the name Monks Mound to honor and reflect the Mississippians who built it. It is the largest earthworks in North America. It is a hugely important landmark, and it deserves an accurate name. Let's fix this, please. 

More information is available in this blog post.