History of the Site

History of the Site. . , The glaciers set the stage for the construction of the Octagon Earthworks. These walls of ice allowed for the formation of massive rivers that deposited huge amounts of the gravel-filled soil commonly found in the Octagon Earthworks. The glaciers and rivers also helped create the flattened and terraced land on which the earthworks are located. All major Hopewell Earthwork sites are found along a line that corresponds to the southernmost reach of the last glaciers., The construction of these monumental sites likely took dozens, if not hundreds, of years. Archaeological evidence suggests these earthworks were built using baskets to move about 30 pounds of soil at a time. John Low, of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, describes how "Building itself involves ceremony. The earthworks were constructed with the most sacred material to these people-various types of earth-a living material, perhaps given to their ancestors by a higher power. These sites also reflect the people's connection to the landscape; they were built horizontally and connected, rather than vertically and in flight from the world around them."