BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG
Approximately 1,000 years ago, small groups from the Mississippian Native American culture headed north from their home in Cahokia, which was located across the Mississippi River from the current city of St. Louis, Missouri. At its zenith, Cahokia had a population of more than 20,000 residents. Over the years, the Mississippian groups traveled nearly 300 miles to the edge of the Driftless Region in what is now far northwestern Illinois. They began living alongside members of the Terminal Late Woodland culture near a beautiful stretch of the Apple River. Instead of fighting for land, the two groups lived side by side, with their cultures mixing in some ways, while staying separate in others. They developed friendships (and certainly also had some disputes), fell in love, raised families, conducted religious ceremonies, buried their dead, created art, and passed the seasons as they gradually created a new cultural identity (which came to be recognized as part of the Oneota culture). Archaeologists have determined that these groups inhabited the site from approximately 1050 to 1350 A.D. (50 years longer than the United States) until dispersing throughout the Driftless Region. “The Oneota are likely the ancestors of powerful Chiwere Siouan speaking groups who occupied the upper Midwest and eastern Plains,” according to “The John Chapman Site and Creolization on the Northern Frontier of the Mississippian World,” a doctoral dissertation by Phillip G. Millhouse. “These groups played a critical role in the direction of trade, settlement, warfare and later interactions with encroaching Euro-American nations.”
Wapello Land & Water Reserve (8642 IL-84, Hanover, IL 61041) preserves the land where these two cultures came together. At the site, archaeologists have discovered and studied remnants of a large prehistoric village and the only known platform mound remaining within the Apple River Valley. It’s rare that such a large area of Native American habitation remains intact in the Midwest. For that reason, the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Interpretive signage at the reserve tells the story of these cultures and the work of archaeologists to gain insights into their daily life. We can thank the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation (JDCF) and other organizations for preserving this land and its archaeological wealth for future study. The Wapello Land & Water Reserve was the first archaeological site that was protected by the JDCF, which now protects other Native American sites.
In addition to the village site, there are 1.8 miles of hiking trails that traverse an extensive prairie restoration project, which covers much of the village and nearby archaeological sites. The trails also pass the edge of wooded areas and feature overlooks of the Apple River. During high summer, the prairie restoration is stunning—one of the best I’ve seen in the Midwest. A trail map can be viewed here.
More than 90 bird species have been sighted at Wapello Land & Water Reserve, according to eBird. Species include dickcissels, ruby-throated hummingbird, killdeers, brown thrashers, yellow-throated vireos, cliff swallows, ring-necked pheasant, eastern bluebirds, and downy woodpeckers. The reserve also provides rare species’ habitats, including for the state and federally endangered rusty patched bumble bee and the state threatened black sandshell mussel and other species of native mussels in the Apple River.
What Did Archaeologists Find?
In 2003, the previous owners of the land allowed the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Archaeology Field School to conduct excavations at the John Chapman site (which is located within the Wapello Land & Water Reserve). According to “The John Chapman Site and Creolization on the Northern Frontier of the Mississippian World,” a doctoral dissertation by Phillip G. Millhouse (who now serves as a cultural resource archaeologist for the Illinois State Archaeological Survey): “This work included making a topographic map of the site, conducting a limited controlled surface collection and machine scraping 0.5 hectares of the site. The machine scraping revealed12 houses and 140 pit features. By the end of the field season, 11 houses and 60 pit features had been completely excavated. The features included refuse, hearth, storage and roasting pits along with small, 2 x 4 meter, single post, semi-subterranean Woodland style structures. Material inventories included flake tools, end scrapers and arrow points along with Mississippian style ceramics, a few Woodland and foreign sherds along with several hybrid ceramic styles.” Studies have found that Native American cultures resided at the Wapello site for more than 11,000 years.
Before You Go
The reserve is located in Hanover, which was previously known as Wapello, in honor of Chief Wapello of the Meskwaki tribe
A picnic pavilion is available.
Dogs (on leash) are allowed.
Here are some excellent videos and publications that will help you to learn more about the Native American history of the reserve:
I’ve been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 80 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, College Readiness: The Vault Guide for High School Juniors and Seniors, the Vault Career Guide to Consulting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series), Lerner Publishing, and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades, Hands-On Careers, Social Media Today, Woman in STEM Careers, Getting Started, and Cool Careers in Science series).
Here’s a list of the environmental- and clean energy-focused titles that I’ve written or co-written:
Women in Environmental Sciences (Women in STEM Careers)
Articles about my work have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Practical Homeschooling, and other publications. My photographs of musicians, artists, and the natural world have been published in several books. My poetry has been published in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review. As an amateur artist, I’m pleased to say that four of my paintings were included in the 2025 Beverly Art Walk.
