[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CAHOKIA MOUNDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Bost) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, southern Illinois is home to one of America's 
great civilizations in history, many years before this was the United 
States of America. Its center was at Cahokia, and it was once the 
largest civilization in today's United States. By 1200 A.D., the 
community numbered 10,000 to 20,000 strong.
  What remains today are the Cahokia Mounds, a 2,200-acre site with 
more than 70 earth mounds, upon which many of their buildings once 
stood. This treasure is visited by schools, families, and history 
buffs, everyone who wants to see this wonderful part of history. It is 
a critical part of history.
  That is why I introduced a bill to make Cahokia Mounds a national 
park. My bill would help preserve this amazing piece of history for 
generations to come.
  I thank Congressmen Clay, Shimkus, and Davis for cosponsoring this 
bill. This legislation preserves the mounds in their districts, as 
well.
  I also thank the State and local leaders who support our efforts in 
Illinois, and I thank the HeartLands Conservancy for its hard work and 
for being guardians of our history.
  I thank my staff for working so hard with other issues that are going 
on but understanding how important this issue is to future generations, 
to the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to understand the 
history of this area in the world. I am proud to be part of these 
efforts to preserve our past well into the future.

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