The Briscoe Mounds: Channahon, IL

I talk here a lot about discovering history in my own backyard.

Case in point: I had no idea the largest Native American burial grounds are located in Channahon, IL, which neighbors my hometown of Morris.

These burial grounds are now known as the Briscoe Mounds, name for the landowners who discovered the burial grounds during the first half of last century. The mounds, which are traced back to between 1200 and 1500 AD. They were excavated in 1960, when sixteen Native American bodies were discovered. The Mounds are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and owned by the Illinois State Museum.

The museum is planning to build a visitor center and, for now, there really isn't much to see, beyond a small, gravel parking lot, an informational kiosk, and the two mounds. Be that as it may, my kids loved it, knowing the history of the site. The mounds are also located on a beautiful overlook of the Des Plaines River.

Tomorrow, I'll post about our visit to another Native American burial ground -- the Dickson Mounds museum in Lewistown, IL.