For nearly 38 years, I lived in Ohio and Iowa, and was familiar with the various ceremonial mounds build by the area inhabitants from 800-1200 years ago. But I was generally unaware of mound building in the south. Poverty Point is the site of a massive mound building effort - and it is truly ancient compared to its newcomer northern brethren. Estimates put the mounds at 3600 years old, making them over 2500 years older than those northern mounds.

Poverty Point National Monument in northeastern Louisiana is actually a state historic park. The National Park Service simply piggybacks on the site, providing some funding, but the employees at the visitor center are state park workers. The site has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Most of the mounds have eroded to small piles, though a few of the larger ones remain intact, including one that you can climb to the top (don't worry, you climb on a wooden walkway so no erosion takes place). The view from the top over the relatively flat lands stretches for miles.

Why were they build? No one is quite sure. They were build near a waterway that connects to the Mississippi. Relics found onsite show that the locals traded as far away as Wisconsin, bringing metals to the community - something not abundant in the local region.

Best guesses are that dirt was loosened with stone hoes and placed in straw baskets or pouches made of animal hides. One load could hold about 40 pounds, with estimates that the entire structure required 15 million loads of dirt to be carried by hand. Wow.

Poverty Point National Monument reminds me that many of the less well-know park units may not provide great scenery, but provide fascinating histories of the land and peoples, sometimes (such as here) dating back over 2500 years. Though I love a great view as much as anyone, it is parks like these that I truly enjoy visiting. I see areas of the country I may never have visited, and learn something new with every visit.

The park has a very nice Visitor's Center (a state park center) with a small exhibit of relics from the site and a informational video. The weather was a bit chilly (it was February) and generally sunny. I was the only visitor for the duration of my time there.