The oldest human-made structure in St. Louis

Sugarloaf Mound is the sole remaining Mississippian culture platform mound in St. Louis. It is a relic of a civilization that thrived in the area from around 600 to 1300 AD, and it is the oldest human-made structure in the city. In 1809, the mound was used as a survey landmark when St. Louis was incorporated.

In the mid-1800s, a different earthen structure known as 'Big Mound' was razed after the land was sold to the North Missouri Railroad. In preparation for the 1904 World's Fair, an additional sixteen mounds were destroyed. Today, Sugarloaf Mound is the only one that remains of the original approximately 40 mounds in St. Louis. Standing about 40 feet high, it overlooks the Mississippi River where Interstate 55 meets South Broadway.

The mounds in Forest Park were mapped, excavated, and had human remains associated with them. Sugarloaf Mound is assumed to have been used for burials, but it may also have been a ceremonial site or the location of a chief's home. The Strosniders owned a house on the mound for nearly half a century before they returned the mound to Native American ownership, selling it to the Osage Nation. The house on the mound has been dismantled and removed as of September 2017.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons