Crooks mound
Encyclopedia
Crooks Mound is a large Marksville culture
mound site, located in La Salle Parish
in south central Louisiana
. It is a large, conical, burial mound that was part of at least six episodes of burials. It measured about 16 ft (4.9 m) and 85 ft (25.9 m). It contained roughly 1,150 remains that were placed however they were able to be fit into the structure of the mound. Sometimes body parts were removed in order to achieve that goal. Archaeologists think it was a holding house for the area that was emptied periodically in order to achieve this type of setup.
Most of the time, the people were just placed into the mound, but a few of the burials were in log-lined tombs or rarely stone lined tombs. Only a few out of each burial were interred with copper tools as grave goods. This suggests that the area was mainly for common people to be buried in.
The site is on private land, usually with no public access but you are able to view it from the roadway.
. The mounds were 1200 feet (365.8 m) southeast of French Fork Bayou and 450 feet (137.2 m) southwest of Cypress Bayou
. Mound A was a conical mound that stood 21 feet high and 84 feet in diameter. Mound B was 2 foot (0.6096 m) high and 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter and located 110 feet (33.5 m) southwest of Mound A. Excavations revealed that Mound A had been built in three stages; Mound B was a single-stage structure. The mounds held 1,175 burials: 1,159 from Mound A, and 13 from Mound B (3 unknown). Pottery accompanied some burials; the weight of mound fill apparently crushed the vessels. The mounds were used for burials around 100 BCE to 400 CE. No evidence for domestic structures exists on or near the mounds, leading archaeologists to believe they were strictly for mortuary purposes.
Marksville culture
The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name...
mound site, located in La Salle Parish
La Salle Parish, Louisiana
La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 14,282. The parish seat is Jena.-Geography:The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
in south central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. It is a large, conical, burial mound that was part of at least six episodes of burials. It measured about 16 ft (4.9 m) and 85 ft (25.9 m). It contained roughly 1,150 remains that were placed however they were able to be fit into the structure of the mound. Sometimes body parts were removed in order to achieve that goal. Archaeologists think it was a holding house for the area that was emptied periodically in order to achieve this type of setup.
Most of the time, the people were just placed into the mound, but a few of the burials were in log-lined tombs or rarely stone lined tombs. Only a few out of each burial were interred with copper tools as grave goods. This suggests that the area was mainly for common people to be buried in.
The site is on private land, usually with no public access but you are able to view it from the roadway.
Description
There were two separate mounds that make up the site. In 1938-1939 the site was completely excavated under the direction of James A. FordJames A. Ford
James Alfred Ford was an American archaeologist. He was born in Water Valley, Mississippi, on February 12, 1911. He became interested in work on Native American mound research while growing up in Mississippi.-Archaeological work:...
. The mounds were 1200 feet (365.8 m) southeast of French Fork Bayou and 450 feet (137.2 m) southwest of Cypress Bayou
Cypress Bayou
Cypress Bayou is the name applied to a series of wetlands at the western edge of Caddo Lake, in and around Jefferson, Texas, making up part of the largest Cypress forest in the world. The bayou is divided into three areas—each part of the watershed of a small river or creek—Little...
. Mound A was a conical mound that stood 21 feet high and 84 feet in diameter. Mound B was 2 foot (0.6096 m) high and 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter and located 110 feet (33.5 m) southwest of Mound A. Excavations revealed that Mound A had been built in three stages; Mound B was a single-stage structure. The mounds held 1,175 burials: 1,159 from Mound A, and 13 from Mound B (3 unknown). Pottery accompanied some burials; the weight of mound fill apparently crushed the vessels. The mounds were used for burials around 100 BCE to 400 CE. No evidence for domestic structures exists on or near the mounds, leading archaeologists to believe they were strictly for mortuary purposes.
Sources
- Fagan, Brian M. Ancient North America 2005. Thames and Hudson. p. 408