The Ocmulgee National Monument is a national park that contains ancient Indian burial mounds. There is rich history involving the lands and mounds in the park. There is evidence that this land has been inhabited by advanced peoples as far back as 17,000 years ago.
From about 8,000 BCE to 2,000 BCE the area was slowly receding from a glacial shelf and began to be inhabited by various plants and animals. Nomadic people hunted and gathered here at this time. Then around 900 began the construction of permanent dwellings and these complex mounds, which may have served as a temple or council chamber. There was a move towards agriculture with beans, corn, and squash being the primary crops. The culture continued to develop and become more complex until 1565, when the Spanish set up a colony at St. Augustine. The Spanish, and later other European powers, began to meddle with the native culture of the Ocmulgee either with religious evangelism, introduction of new technology, and the spread of disease. Around the turn of 1800s, there was an attempt at a revival of traditional Indian ways and a opposition to Western acculturation. This eventually led to conflict, spurred on by the British during the War of 1812. The Creek War was disastrous to the lives and culture of the Indians on the Ocmulgee. Then in 1839 gold was discovered on Cherokee lands in Georgia and their rights of sovereignty were effectively ignored. President Andrew Jackson ordered the remaining native people to remove themselves beginning the famous "Trail of Tears".
In 1933 the destroyed mounds were filled with dirt from construction of a local road. Citizens are convinced the mounds have some significance and Dr. Arthur Kelly of the Smithsonian organizes the largest archaeological dig in North American history. In 1936 President Theodore Roosevelt sign a bill creating the Ocmulgee National Monument as a national park.
And now for a picture of two friends enjoying a fishing trip.
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