March 2013 – The Collins Mound Site by Dr. Doug Jackson

Free Event

Dr. Douglas K. Jackson is leading the restoration andresearch at the Collins Mound in Vermilion County.

The Chicago Archaeological Society is very excited to haveDr. Jackson and to hear about this project on this  pre-Columbian site related to Cahokia.

Date: Sunday, March 24, 2013

Place: Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington (First Floor), Evanston.

3:00 p.m. Social: Refreshments and Fellowship.

3:15 pm   Ms. Deb Stelton: France, Prehistoric Cave Art Program

3:30 p.m. Presentation by our guest Dr. Doug Jackson “ TheCollins Site ”

Dinner: 5:00 p.m. Informal dinner with our Speaker at Dave’sItalian Kitchen.

Always plenty of Free Parking!

The Collins Archaeological Complex

What sets the Collins Complex apart as a special site is the evidence of contacts and influences emanating from the Cahokia site
Mr. Douglas Jackson reporting on the Collins Site at the March CAS meeting at the Evanston Public Library brings understanding of an Illinois pre-Columbian site acquired during five seasons of archaeological exploration. The Collins Archaeological Complex, a Late Woodland mound and village complex, is situated along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River in east-central Illinois near Danville, Illinois. It represents the most important archaeological site in that area..
Collins covers a large occupation area that includes at least 7 mounds within the site complex. Size in itself is not unusual, but what sets the Collins Complex apart as special is evidence of contacts and influences emanating from the Cahokia site.
Evidence for this contact consists of Cahokia style pottery and wall trench structures, arrow point styles, and platform mounds. In addition there are possible solstice alignments involving its mounds that may be Cahokia related.
Cahokia’s influences spread to specific far-ranging societies located throughout the south and upper Midwest. While nature of these regional interactions is not understood, some archaeologists believe a religious movement may have formed the basis for the developments at Cahokia and the spread of its influences across the Midwest. The site also has evidence of contact with other Late Woodland societies and may have been a regional gathering location.
Five seasons of excavations conducted by the University of Illinois in the 1970s, prompted by a proposed reservoir project to dam the Middle Fork. A Ph.D. dissertation is the primary source of information on the site and much of the excavated material remains unstudied at the U of I. Following the cancellation of the reservoir, the Collins Complex became part of an extensive county park.
Over the last several years, volunteers, including members of the East Central Illinois Archaeological Society, have been maintaining a site trail and removing invasive plant species from the site area. Volunteers have also begun a project to rebag the site collections which provides an excellent hands-on learning experience. In 2013, after a 35 year hiatus, a University of Illinois archaeological field school will return to the Collins Site.