Nestled in the suburbs of Chicago is a hidden treasure. Thousands of years ago, Native Americans lived along the West branch of the DuPage river. Three prehistoric Indian mounds remain and these are the only known mounds in DuPage County. These mounds were fully excavated and what remains is the mounds themselves. It is a beautiful area to visit. Please treat the area with respect.
This cache was one in the 2014 Forest Preserve District of Dupage County Passport program. The program for 2014 is now over because the coins are all gone. There are no longer passports or stickers in this cache.
To find Winfield Mounds Letterbox cache
To find the cache, you should follow the instructions on the parchment below. If you prefer, there is a black and white set of instructions also attached to the cache page.
Letterbox stamp
You are looking for a medium lock and lock container in a clear plastic bag. There is a stamp and ink in a bag inside the cache that you can use to stamp your personal letterbox notebook. Please leave this stamp and ink in the cache. Thank you!
Ftf Prize
There is a ftf prize of a $5 Starbucks gift card and a small plastic trophy. Congratulations to Sgauss on his ftf!
The People
Based on archeological studies, the first people to live at this sight were from the Middle Woodland Period approximately 2000 years ago. The people that most likely constructed the mounds were from the Late Woodland Period 1000 years ago. They hunted, fished and gathered food. They played games, sang songs and were storytellers.
The History of Mound Building
There are several different types of Native American burial mounds:
- Cemetery burial mounds such as the Dickson mounds.
- Leader dwelling mounds such as Monks Mound in Cahokia,IL
- Effigy mounds built in both simple and elaborate shapes and patterns, such as animals or mythological creatures.
Winfield Mounds are considered Effigy mounds.
The Winfield Mounds
In the 1920s, the land, owned by a farmer named Player, was vandalized and the mounds were first excavated at this time. In 1929, a Wheaton resident named Cook began excavating the remaining mounds that were untouched by the vandals. Cook contacted the University of Chicago's anthropology department and the first trained archeological excavation took place. At this time, cremated human remains were found in one of the mounds. Only 75% of the mounds were excavated at that time, but the team was able to determine function and age of the mounds.
The Forest Preserve District purchased the first 226 acres of the now-360 acre preserve in 1970. During the mid-1970's an instructor from Wheaton College trained archeology students at this site. They recovered more that 2000 artifacts, such as stone tools, and shards of pottery. They also uncovered a prehistoric village closer to the river. In the 1980s and 90s, Doug Kullen, a professional archeologist was able to determine the probable dates of village occupation and mound construction.
The mounds were fully excavated and now remain in their reconstructed state for historic purposes and no further digging is permitted.
Thanks
Two years ago, Abby and I went on a wonderful tour of the Winfield Mounds led by Jack MacRae of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Thank you, Jack for your tour, for the article on the history of the Winfield Mounds.
Thanks to Amanda Hagen FPDDC for permission to have a geocache at this site (permit number 285) and for walking out to place it with me.
The 2010 Tour
The Permit
1. This Geocache is placed on DuPage County Forest Preserve property with permission. Permit #285
2. Do not place the following items in the Geocache: Food items, inappropriate, offensive, or hazardous materials.
3. DuPage County Forest Preserve hours are 1 hour after sunrise until 1 hour after sunset. Preserve users must not be in the preserves after hours.
4. It is the visitor’s responsibility to be aware of the policies and rules pertaining to this preserve. For more information on preserve rules contact Visitor Services at (630) 933-7248.
5. All Statutes, Ordinances, rules and regulations pertaining to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County are applicable.