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(Graphic: Gibson 1996)
Poverty Point
State Historic Site
6859 Highway 577, Pioneer, Louisiana 71266
318-926-5492 or 888-926-5492
Email:
povertypoint@crt.state.la.us
Directions: From I-20, take the
Delhi exit and travel north of LA 17, east on LA 134 and north on LA
577. GPS Coordinates: N 32
38.2500; W 91 24.4164.
Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., daily. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Guided tours are offered daily.
Entrance Fees: $2 per person; free
for seniors (62 and over) and for children age 12 and under. Groups
are asked to call in advance.
Climate:
Summers are generally hot and humid with rain. Winters are mild.
Trails at Poverty Point State Historic Site:
Complete listing of available facilities and activities
Visit massive prehistoric earth works.
Located in northeastern Louisiana, Poverty Point commemorates a
culture that thrived during the first and second millennia B.C. This
site, which contains some of the largest prehistoric earth works in
North America, is managed by the state of Louisiana. These state park
facilities are open to the public.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE NO FEDERAL FACILITIES.
The time was eight centuries after Egyptian slaves dragged huge
stones across the desert to build the Great Pyramids, and before the
great Mayan pyramids were constructed. The place was a site in what is
now northeastern Louisiana. The people were a highly civilized group
who left behind one of the most important archaeological sites in
North America.
The Poverty Point inhabitants, like the ancient Mayans, set for
themselves an enormous task as they built a complex array of earthen
mounds and ridges overlooking the Mississippi River flood plain. This
accomplishment is particularly impressive for a pre-agricultural
society. The central construction consists of six rows of concentric
ridges, which at one time were five feet high. The five aisles and six
sections of ridges form a partial octagon. The diameter of the
outermost ridges measures three-quarters of a mile. It is thought that
these ridges served as foundations for dwellings although little
evidence of structures has been found. However, features and midden
deposits uncovered during excavations support this theory.
Poverty Point's inhabitants imported certain essential supplies
from great distances. Projectile points and other stone tools found at
Poverty Point were made from raw materials which originated in the
Ouachita and Ozark Mountains and in the Ohio and Tennessee River
valleys. Soapstone for vessels came from the Appalachian foothills of
northern Alabama and Georgia. Other materials came from distant places
in the eastern United States. The extensive trade network attests to
the complex and sophisticated society that built the Poverty Point
earthworks.
Poverty Point is indeed a rare remnant of an exceptional culture.
It has been estimated that it took at least five million hours of
labor to build the massive earthworks. Considering that the laborers
carried this dirt to the site in baskets of about a 50-pound capacity,
it is obvious that this was a great communal engineering feat. Dated
between 1650 and 700 B.C., this site of more than 400 acres is unique
among archaeological sites on this continent. In 1962, Poverty Point
was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of
the Interior. An interpretive museum, special events, programs and
guided tours, highlight activities at the park. Tram tours are given
daily at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30, from March 1
through October 31.
For more information on the site, refer to Anthropological Study
Series #7 --
Poverty Point: A Terminal Archaic Culture of the Lower Mississippi
Valley -- prepared by the Louisiana Archaeological Survey and
Antiquities Commission.
To view the video, Poverty Point Earthworks: Evolutionary
Milestones of the Americas, on ArchaeologyChannel.org, click
here; Windows Media Player or Real Player are needed for playback.
Poverty Point Earthworks: Evolutionary Milestones of the Americas
was produced by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism; the
Office of State Parks; and Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB).
Nearby Attractions:
Poverty
Point Reservoir State Park (3 miles north of Delhi/I-20
on LA 17) – A marina and beach area, along with a fully-stocked
man-made lake, makes this an ideal spot for a variety of watersport
activities. The site also offers 4 lodges for overnight visitors.
Black Bear
Golf Course (253 Black Bear Drive, Delhi) - A “must
play” on Louisiana’s
Audubon Golf
Trail, this course is located near Bayou Macon and offers various
levels of challenge to golfers. After the 18th hole, enjoy a meal and
refreshing beverage at the Waterfront Grill.
Chemin-A-Haut
State Park (East of US 425, 10 miles north of Bastrop)
- French for "high road," Chemin-A-Haut is a 503-acre state park
situated on a high bluff overlooking scenic Bayou Bartholomew. The
park offers 26 improved campsites, 14 vacation cabins, a day use area
with a swimming pool, picnic area and 7 playgrounds. Two barrier-free
nature trails and a conference room make this a popular area
year-round.
Lake
D'Arbonne State Park (5 miles west of Farmerville on LA
2) - A fisherman's paradise, this 655-acre state park is nestled in a
pine forest and rolling hills along the shores of Lake D'Arbonne. The
park features 18 cabins, 65 improved campsites, a visitors center, a
swimming pool, 4 tennis courts, picnic tables and grills, 3 fishing
piers, a boat ramp and a fish-cleaning station.
Jimmie
Davis State Park at Caney Lake (Off LA 4 southwest of
Chatham, on Lakeshore Drive and State Road 1209) - Situated on an
outstanding bass-fishing lake, the parks offers 73 improved camping
sites, picnicking, 19 cabins, a group camp with a capacity of 120, 2
boat ramps, a fishing pier, swimming beach and is an ideal spot to
launch biking expeditions.
The Cotton Museum (Hwy. 65 north,
Lake Providence) – Visitors can get a first-hand look at the
day-to-day operations of a plantation where cotton was the major cash
crop.
Panola Pepper Company (1414
Holland Delta Drive, Lake Providence) – Established in the mid-1980s,
this company offers over 30 sauces, seasonings and condiments. Open
for tours 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Tensas National Wildlife Refuge
(Off I-20 via US 65 [Tallulah Exit] or off I-20 via LA 577 [Waverly
Exit]) - This refuge encompasses 57,000-acres of bottomland forest.
Hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, canoeing, interpreted
trails, a boardwalk and educational programs abound. A Visitor Center
contains brochures, exhibits, species lists and regulations.
Thomas Jason Lingo Community Center and Seven
Oaks RV park (10284 Hwy 17 S, Oak Grove) Special events and
Bluegrass music twice a year, during the first weekend in October and
the first weekend in April.
Credits & Other Links:
AmericasLibrary.gov
Science-frontiers.com/sf023/sf023p02.htm
http://www.ncptt.nps.gov/Archeology-and-Collections/Research.aspx
http://www.lpb.org/programs/povertypoint/pp_transcript.html
"Poverty Point Earthworks: Site
Layout." Drawing by Jon Gibson.
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