Last updated: October 22, 2021
Place
Bear Creek Mound, Milepost 308.8
NPS Photo/2020
Quick Facts
Location:
Natchez Trace Parkway, Milepost 308.8
Significance:
American Indian Mound Site
Amenities
4 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Scenic View/Photo Spot
About 900 years ago, mound building began along Bear Creek. Before the mounds, the site was used by semi-sedentary groups for thousands of years. Typical of a Mississippian period village, a ceremonial building sat on Bear Creek’s flat top, providing a focus for spiritual life.
Nearby Bear Creek acted as an early highway, that allowed people in dugout canoes to travel hundreds of miles. The creek supported ample fish and plant life, and large animals came to its banks to drink. Food and tools were plentiful. Nearby Cave Spring was, and still is, considered pure and sacred.
Note: The Alabama-Mississippi state line is visible from the parking area. There is a brown sign marking where it is.
Nearby Bear Creek acted as an early highway, that allowed people in dugout canoes to travel hundreds of miles. The creek supported ample fish and plant life, and large animals came to its banks to drink. Food and tools were plentiful. Nearby Cave Spring was, and still is, considered pure and sacred.
Note: The Alabama-Mississippi state line is visible from the parking area. There is a brown sign marking where it is.