Iconic Conversations: Kyle Olson, Mapping Greater Cahokia

Join us each month for a thought-provoking speaker series that brings St. Louis history to life. Gateway Arch National Park and Jefferson National Parks Association are proud to host compelling talks by local authors and other knowledgeable guests who will explore a variety of topics relevant to the St. Louis region. You might learn about our city’s early beginnings, its architecture, our prominent leaders, the rise of the Gateway Arch, our civil rights struggles, and the best things to do around town. Book discussions will be followed by an author signing opportunity. 

All programs are free and no reservations are needed. They will be held at 2:00 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month in the rotunda of the historic Old Courthouse (11 N. 4th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102). The building is fully accessible, and a sign language interpreter will be on hand for each presentation. 

When we hear about the ancient Cahokian civilization, most of us think of the state park in Collinsville, Illinois, which features Monk’s Mound, Woodhenge, and the Grand Plaza.  Yet that area is only one part of a vast early Mississippian cultural landscape, including the East St. Louis area, the downtown St. Louis mound group, the Richland Complex and Emerald Mound, as well as the extensive landscape of settlement in the American Bottom. Kyle Olson will examine the broad scope and extent of Greater Cahokia and discuss the significance of Cahokia’s history in the global archeological field.

Kyle G. Olson is an archaeological anthropologist who teaches at Washington University.  He researches the history of archaeology, collections stewardship, and archaeological mapping. He has worked all over the world but the focus of his presentation examines the vast prehistoric Cahokian world.n 2024.