This highly accessible synthesis of Illinois’ 12,000-year human past brings together a wide range of expert perspectives, including those of descendant communities, while dispelling common myths and stereotypes. Written for general readers, the richly illustrated volume features LiDAR imagery, color photographs, maps, drawings, and clear tables and charts. It spans the earliest occupation of Illinois roughly 13,000 years ago, the Mississippian period and the rise of Cahokia, and French encounters with the Algonquian-speaking Inohka in the late 17th century.
The book also addresses how many ancient mounds were leveled for farming, development and railroad fill, and how early investigations—such as Warren K. Moorehead’s work in the 1920s in the Cahokia area—helped push back against persistent “mound builder” misconceptions. Archaeological work in Illinois in the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped establish more systematic approaches to the region’s deep past, and the Illinois State Archaeological Survey continues to play a major role in research and cultural resource management. A closing chapter highlights sites and organizations for exploring Illinois archaeology today, along with suggested reading for those who want to go deeper.
