new acquisition

Explaining Mississippian Expansion

The John Chapman site could answer questions about why the Mississippians moved north.

In the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois, the Apple River meets the Mississippi. The surrounding area combines the wetlands formed at their confluence with the scenic beauty of the hills and ridges. In the past, this area drew generations of Native Americans who left a rich archaeological legacy of habitation sites.

This area contains a handful of sites related to the Mississippian metropolis of Cahokia over 350 river miles to the south. The Apple River region has one of the clearest examples of contact between the Late Woodland cultures of the upper Midwest and the more elaborate Mississippian Culture of the greater Southeast. Data from Apple River sites have fueled much discussion about the nature of the Mississippian expansion. They have also figured prominently in debates about the origins of the post-Mississippian cultures of the Midwest.

In researching these issues, most archaeologists focused on the Mills site, a substantial Mississippian settlement. Sadly, the Mills site seems to have been largely destroyed by erosion, deep plowing, and the construction of farm buildings.

Fortunately the John Chapman site, located about three miles upriver from Mills, remains in good condition. This site is an example of a Mississippian frontier town that should provide information about the spread of Mississippian Culture. Archaeologists generally agree that Cahokia and its immediate environs, the American Bottom, were the source behind the spread of Mississippian Culture northward, but there is little agreement about how it took place.

University of Illinois archaeologist Thomas Emerson ties the appearance of Mississippian frontier towns to political changes in the American Bottom, where a number of elite groups were vying for power. At about A.D.1050 one elite group at Cahokia triumphed over the others. Around this time Mississippian frontier towns like Mills and John Chapman appear in distant regions. Emerson hypothesizes that they were founded by elite groups that lost the political struggle in the American Bottom and chose to leave it.

In 2003, archaeologists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign investigated the John Chapman site. They identified about 12 house patterns and 140 pit features. “There are a number of locales where Mississippian peoples intruded into a Late Woodland Culture area and ‘hybridized’ the cultures,” said archaeologist Phillip Millhouse, “but it’s only at the John Chapman site where we have captured the moment where the people are living both the Mississippian and the Woodland Cultures.” —Paul Gardner

This aerial photograph shows the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign crew excavating the site. The researchers recovered conch shells and fine pottery that may have been obtained from Mississippian centers south of John Chapman.

Conservancy Plan of Action

SITE: John Chapman

CULTURE & TIME PERIOD:

Mississippian A.D. 1050–1300 STATUS: Threatened by encroaching commercial and residential development and agriculture. ACQUISITION: The Conservancy has optioned the property and has until August 31,2005,to raise $218,300 to complete the purchase. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Please send contributions to The Archaeological Conservancy, Attn:John Chapman Project,5301 Central Ave. N.E.,Suite 902,Albuquerque,NM 87108-1517