Historic National Road - Illinois
Cahokia Mounds United Nations World Heritage Site, IL

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site has been named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cutural Organization (UNESCO). There, the remains of the most sophisticated Indian civilization north of Mexico are preserved within a 2,200-acre track. The city of Cahokia was inhabited from 700 to 1400 AD and became a regional center capitalizing on trade routes. Evidence of a horizon calendar known as Woodhenge, old stockade, and many burial mounds are interpreted through signs and a visitor center.

The story of this unique site is told in a magnificent interpretive center, which opened in 1989. This building houses many innovative exhibits, created to tell the story of the Cahokia site and the people who lived here. An award winning orientation show introduces the visitor to the site and provides a stimulus to learn more from the exhibits of artifacts, dioramas, models and graphics.

The focal point of the exhibit gallery is a full-scale recreation of one of Cahokia's neighborhoods, complete with houses, a sweatlodge, a granary, and more than a dozen mannequins (cast from living Native Americans) representing citizens engaged in a variety of daily activities. The mirrored walls of the room reflect these images numerous times, giving the impression of being in part of the ancient city. Visitors feel transported into the past.