There are several conical shaped mounds of about forty feet in height, together with a large number of rectangular shape flat top mounds ranging in size from 20 to 30 feet in height and some of smaller size sufficient to conveniently accommodate a good sized farm house and out buildings. One noticeable exception of this mound group lies just south of the great mound the same being of conical shape except that there are nine radiating ridges extending outward at equal distances from the flattened top. This mound is about fifty feet high with a 150 foot base, the radiating ridges extending outward about ten feet each, just what these radiating ridges symbolize no one knows, possibly the radiating lines of the sun, or the ridges may represent the sacred conch shells found buried here in great numbers.
Monk's mound derived this name from the fact that from 1804 to 1809 a colony of Monks of the order of La Trappe occupied the locality as missionaries among the Cahokia Indians. These monks devoted themselves to silence and seclusion and ate a strictly vegetable diet. They soon succumbed to the malarial influences existing at that time, many died and those remaining returned whence they came, the last of them leaving in March, 1813.
The name Cahokia given the group of mounds is derived from a tribe of Indians met by LaSalle in that vicinity, during his visit there in December, 1681. Growing upon Monk's mound may be seen a pear orchard, set out by the Monks, many of these trees are yet vigorous and bear fruit in season. Besides these fruit trees, there are many fine forest trees, some of which have reached a very large size; all of which tends to make this large mound one of the most picturesque sights in spring, summer and autumn.
Only a short distance to the north of Monk's mound flows Cahokia Creek, its heavily wooded tract of timber giving here a rare chance to the Archaeologist and land-scape artist to help some one of the greatest movements of pre-historic man to be found in the United States today. Ohio has long since made safe her serpent mound, together with many lesser ones by proper legislative acts, other states and counties have protected pre-historic works of much less importance. Why then should the great State of Illinois not preserve our Cahokia group? During the last legislative session at Springfield, Cahokia mound park bills were introduced in both houses and are now known as House Bill No. 176 Flagg, and Senate Bill No. 276 Beall, on June 7, 1913. The matter was refered to the Illinois State Park Commission to investigate the desirability of the state acquiring the Cahokia mound and report to the forty-ninth General Assembly not later than Feb. 1, 1915.
The names and addresses of the members of the Illinois State Board of Park Commissioners are as follows: Alexander Richards, Ottawa, Ill. T. A. James, Evanston, Ill. and Thomas Cahill, Loda, Ill.
Plate No. 1
At research on Ramey Farm in field near Monk's Mound, October, 1913
Plate No. 2 Characteristic surface finds from location shown on plate 1.
Cuts furnished by C. H. Robinson