Distribution of Mounds in the Eastern United States

Early indigenous sites across the Eastern United States.

This ‘pocked’ map of the Eastern United States was compiled under the direction of Cyrus Thomas and engraved by the United States Geological Survey for publication in the Twelfth Annual report of the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology.

Each red dot represents a mound or mound groups attributed to the indigenous inhabitants of North America. Heavy concentrations are evident along the major rivers throughout the Midwest, most notably the Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash. Southern Wisconsin and eastern Tennessee are also home to many such sites.