The LSU Indian Mounds of Baton Rouge

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by Matt Wilson
Being one of the New World hot spots for Spanish and French exploration, the Southeast is full of cities whose names were first uttered in the native tongues of explorers first setting foot upon them. The monikers were often based upon what they saw or experienced and Louisiana is no exception with its Baton Rouge, one of the more curious city names that literally means "Red Stick" in French.

The state capital was originally discovered by Europeans in 1699, when Sieur d'Iberville was traveling up the Mississippi River and noticed a large red cypress pole holding several impaled, bloodied fish and animals. It was an auspicious greeting to the French explorers, but it wasn't intended for them--rather it was a border marker placed by the local Native American tribe so that other tribes would know they were on foreign land. Still, that red stick marker is what gave the area its future identity.

This port city, the sixth largest in the United States, is much more welcoming to first-time arrivals on a Baton Rouge vacation these days, offering a good dose of Southern hospitality from a blend of Cajuns, college students, gamblers, and a surprisingly large international population. It's prime territory for SEC sports events, casino vacations and Cajun cooking. But it also offers a unique, historical tourist spot dating back thousands of years, and possibly belonging to those who first planted that original red stick in the ground.

Located on the northwest side of the Louisiana State University campus are the two LSU Indian Mounds, as they are commonly called. The unique, man-built structures were created within the earth more than 5,000 years ago. Added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the LSU Indian Mounds are part of a unique group of similar mounds located throughout the state. They are believed to be the oldest Native American-built structures in both North and South America, predating even the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge.

Why they were built remains a mystery, but most archaeologists agree that they were not burial places or temples, believing instead they were likely identity symbols used for religious or ceremonial purposes. Several soil samples have been taken from the mounds, and recently, charred pieces of earth were discovered within them, leading some to theorize the builders used it as a barbecue pit (this is the South, you know) or possibly for crematory purposes. Whether it contains any other artifacts remains unknown.

The mounds have remained virtually untouched on campus despite several expansion and construction efforts with the exception of sidewalk that was installed between them and a low brick retaining wall to prevent excesive traffic. Incredibly, some people actually drove over the tops of the mounds during the mid-1980s. These days, people only drive to them, not on, as they are an attraction to history buffs, Native American culture pursuits and even tailgaters gathering outside "Death Valley" before a Tiger football game.

About the Author

Matt Wilson is a travel industry editor and a contributor to www.vacations.com and Travelocity.com (http://hotels.travelocity.com/hotel/World/United-States/Louisiana/Baton-Rouge-Hotels).

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