The Collins Archeological District is a

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

located in Kennekuk County Park in Vermilion County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The site dates from the

Late Woodland period In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeologi ...

and was used roughly from 900 to 1100 A.D. The core of the site includes two

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher el ...

s and a ceremonial area. The inhabitants of the region used the site for ceremonial purposes, and the ceremonies conducted at the site were influenced by Mississippian traditions. The site provides evidence of the spread of Mississippian culture from

Cahokia The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis, Missouri. This historic park lies in south-w ...

to other peoples and regions.Maruszak, Kathleen. ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Collins Archeological District''.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, 1977-04. The site was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on August 3, 1979.

References

Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Geography of Vermilion County, Illinois Woodland period Mounds in Illinois Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Vermilion County, Illinois {{VermilionCountyIL-geo-stub