Mitchell Log Mystery
Indigenous Americans dragged, carried or floated 5-ton tree more than 100 miles to North America's largest city north of Mexico 900 years ago News By Sandee Oster | October 26, 2025 Researchers have determined the age and origin of a massive tree that was found at the pre-Columbian city of Cahokia in what is now Illinois. An aerial view of the earthen mounds of Cahokia in Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. A new study finds that a massive marker post from Cahokia was felled 900 years ago and came from over 100 miles away . (Image credit: Matt Champlin via Getty Images) Around 900 years ago, Indigenous Americans at Cahokia — the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico until colonial times — felled a giant tree and transported it more than 110 miles (180 kilometers) to serve as a monumental marker post, a new study finds. The tree, known as the Mitchell Log , is the largest marker post of its kind in Cahokia,...