We celebrated June birthdays early in Arkansas and I headed northwest with South Dakota as my primary destination. There would be a lot to see and do along the way, many new surprises, and plans not yet made. The first stop was Spiro, Ok and a visit to the Spiro Mounds.
This would be the first of many visits to various Indian sites during the summer as I jumped on and off the Lewis and Clark trail. It was a delight to have various friends join up along the way. This gorget depicts two dancers holding shields and rattles and wearing raccoon skins. This shell gorget hung from a necklace and is made from conch shell.
Six mounds form a circular grouping around an oval plaza on the western side of the site. The eastern group of mounds were where important leaders were buried with elaborate ceremony and grave goods. The preservation of delicate basketry, feather capes, and cloth was remarkable, but many of these fragile artifacts were destroyed in the plundering of the mounds by treasure hunters.
Oklahoma's only archaeological park is a 140-acre site encompassing 12 southern mounds which contain evidence of an Indian culture that occupied the site from 850 A.D. to 1450 A.D.From Spiro a stop at Braum's for ice cream and an overnight stop at the Wal-mart in Sallisaw were new plans. Sure beat the last time I spent the night in Sallisaw .. rather outside Sallisaw on the side of the road with no gas.
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