Big Mound was the largest mound in the St. Louis Mound Group. A ridge mound, 319 feet long, 158 feet wide, and 34 feet high Big Mound contained a burial chamber holding 20 to 30 individuals. Unfortunately, development in the City of St. Louis led to the complete destruction of Big Mound in 1869. By 1904 nearly all of the mounds in St. Louis had been destroyed. Today only Sugarloaf Mound remains; it is now owned and preserved by the Osage Nation. These mounds were constructed by ancestors of some of today's Indian nations. The site of Big Mound is great significance because of what it once was. This serves to commemorate the culture that once existed in this area, to honor the people who were once buried at this site, and to also remind us that there are living descendent's of that culture and the people who were once here.
(left photo caption:)
"Northeast view of St. Louis from the Illinois Shore"
John Caspar Wild, 1840 color lithograph
(right photo caption:)
Big Mound daguerreotype
Thomas M. Easterly, ca. 1852-54
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