The Morrison Site: evidence for Terminal Late Woodland mound construction in the American Bottom

Investigations at the Morrison (11MS1548) site during the 1990s revealed a previously unknown mound center dating to the early Edelhardt phase of the Terminal Late Woodland period (ca. A.D. 1000-1030). Located only 3 km from Monks Mound, the site is significant because it provides evidence suggesting mound and plaza construction occurred immediately preceding the rise of Cahokia as a sociopolitical and religious center. Excavations in 1994 confirmed the presence of one rectangular platform mound and a related residential occupation in close proximity. A hint of a later Lohmann phase (A.D. 1050-1100) revisit to the site, perhaps for commemorative purposes, is suggested by the presence of a white-on-red seed jar fragment.