The area that would become St. Louis was a
center of Native American Mississippian culture, which built numerous temple
and residential earthwork mounds on both sides of the Mississippi River. Their
major center was at Cahokia Mounds, active from 900CE to 1500 CE. The major
earthworks within St. Louis boundaries were the source of the city's early
nickname, the "Mound City." Historic Native American tribes in the
area included the Siouan-speaking Osage people and the Illiniwek.
European exploration of the area was
recorded in 1673, when French