SR0429 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0429 LRB101 12512 MST 60788 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Long before Lewis and Clark, the Cahokia Mounds region was home to the ancient societies of Mississippian Culture and the beginnings of urbanism in the eastern woodlands; it was from these societies that today's great Indian Nations sprang, with cultural connections from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and along the mighty Mississippi; the beginning of this urban civilization was spread over six counties of eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois; and

WHEREAS, At the sea of verdure, the fertile American Bottom stretches bluff to bluff at the confluence of America's greatest rivers, the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, cradling the birth of millennia of agriculture and the rise of the Mississippian Culture; Cahokia Mounds and its mound complexes thrived on the cultivation and trading of corn, with their surplus allowing them to rise and become the "Center of the Universe" of the Mississippian Culture, trading to the north, south, east, and west; and

WHEREAS, Dating from the Mississippian Period (800-1350 AD), Cahokia Mounds, covering 3,950 acres, is the earliest and largest pre-Columbian archaeological site north of Mexico and the pre-eminent example of a cultural, religious, and economic center of the pre-historic Mississippian cultural tradition; and

WHEREAS, Cahokia Mounds and its ancient non-contiguous satellite settlements are today in need of additional protection to secure the most significant remnants of the largest Native American civilization on the North American continent north of Mexico from active and passive threats; and

WHEREAS, Over the last 24 months, with guidance from the Indian Nations, federal agencies, Illinois and Missouri state agencies, and local units of government, Heartlands Conservancy developed a thorough, compelling, and rigorous study that met National Park Service standards and criteria demonstrating the feasibility of elevating the status and national designation of Cahokia Mounds; the surrounding mound complexes in the region and their significance, suitability, and feasibility as a potential formal unit of the National Park Service would ensure that these precious ancient archaeological resources are protected and accessible for all people to experience; and

WHEREAS, Conducting 13 public meetings, media interviews, stakeholder meetings, outreach to 13 tribes/nations, and over 890 surveys, Heartlands Conservancy received support for the study's recommendations and showed that local communities would benefit from revitalized and protected sites with enhanced interpretive and educational programs to teach about the Mississippian Culture, its ancestral significance, and the numerous associated historic traces and cultural themes; and

WHEREAS, The study captured the significance of the region and its ancient history by demonstrating that, through cooperative protection and partnerships, it can remain connected and intact in order to properly interpret remaining sites and offer opportunities to protect, enhance, and interpret the natural environment along the Mounds Heritage Trail corridor; and

WHEREAS, National parks generate $31 billion for local economies each year and are shown to invigorate neighborhood historic renovation and spur business growth; they also provide opportunities for tourism and economic development, natural resource conservation, and improvements of the quality of life for residents of nearby communities; and

WHEREAS, There are no other mounds within the National Park Service that represent the Mississippian Culture as holistically and uniquely as the Cahokia Mounds; combined with the surrounding satellite mound centers, Cahokia emerges as the most significant and unsurpassed example of its time period; and

WHEREAS, The great region of southwestern Illinois and eastern Missouri will, with the assistance of the Indian Nations, become a center of cultural outreach and enrichment by embracing our nation's earliest heritage and re-engaging our ancient past as a foundation for the 21st century; and

WHEREAS, Legislation will be introduced in the U.S. Congress to create the Cahokia Mississippian Culture National Historical Park in Southwestern Illinois, which, with thematically-connected, non-contiguous mound complexes in the St. Louis Metropolitan Region, will recognize the significance of the Mississippian Culture and its unique national significance in agriculture, ancestral ties, and its status as one of America's first cities; and

WHEREAS, There is a strong consensus that now is the time for immediate action to further develop the Cahokia Mounds and thematically-connected mound complexes to realize their full potential; with new transportation access across the Mississippi River completed and the rebound of the economy, there is even greater pressure to develop this area; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the citizens of the Cahokia Mounds region to actively join the Heartlands Conservancy, the Governor of Illinois, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in support of the Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture Initiative; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the U.S. Congress to elevate the national status of the Cahokia Mounds and thematically-connected mound complexes that are deemed suitable and nationally-significant as a non-contiguous National Historical Park, the Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Cultural National Historical Park; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon the President of the United States to exercise his authority by Executive Order through the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the Cahokia Mounds as a National Monument, and we call upon Congress to pass legislation creating the Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Cultural National Historical Park in partnership with the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor of Illinois, the Illinois General Assembly, the members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, the National Park Service Director, the Secretary of the Interior, and President Donald Trump.