THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY
BY
TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL
ST. JACOB, ILLINOIS
ADVISOR
JAMES E. KERR Ph.D.
STUDENT PARTICIPANTS
AMBER JOLLY
JOE KRAUSKOPF
JASON FUESTING
SHANNON WRIGHT
TIFFANY THOMAS
SARAH SUTTER
RYAN METCALF
INSTRUCTOR'S NOTE
The seven students above began research into preColumbian Sites in the vicinity of our school in the Fall of 1997. The photo above is of artifacts found by one of our project students on his own property. This illustrates the extent of inhabitation of our area throughout the pre-Columbian era. Artifacts are commonly found by many people in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.
Initially we intended to investigate sites and have discussions with experts in the field of archaeology. Our work led us in many directions however. We examined the areas listed below and have provided links and photos for those viewing our work.
1. The World Heritage System and how it has impacted on Cahokia Mounds, the most prominent pre-Columbian site in our region.2.Cahokia Mounds and its environs.
3. The field of Contract Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management and how these apply to the current construction of MidAmerica Airport, adjacent to Scott Air Force Base, 10 miles south of our school.
4.Work being carried on from the Center forAmerican Archaeology in Kampsville, Illinois, about 70 miles north of our school.
5. Information on the IlIinois State Preservation Agency, the agency which supervises all excavation and housing and cataloging of artifacts in our state.
6. We also interviewed Mr. Peter Bostrom, who lives in our community. Mr. Bostrom is the foremost maker of archaeological castings in the United States. His laboratory services are used by archaeologists and museums all over the world.
A NOTE OF THANKS
We received assistance from a number of people during the course of this project. We want to note them at the beginning rather than in credits at the end. Mr. William R. Iseminger, archeologist at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site provided us with an extensive interview and permission to use photos of the site contained within. Dr. George Holley, Director of Contract Archaeology at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville provided site maps and valuable information on excavations at the new airport and general information on preservation of artifacts. Mr. Harry Murphy of the Center for American Archaeology in Kampsville, Illinois provided information on the Koster Site and other excavations in the Lower Illinois River Valley. And finally, Mr. Peter Bostrom L.C.L. who gave us a tour of his laboratory, discussed casting, and gave us permission to use one of his posters on our page. We could have continued with our research, for we found people in this field to be enthusiastic about their work and more than willing to share their knowledge. We hope our page serves as an introduction to the wealth of pre-Columbian information in our own backyard.
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