The Caddoan Mounds are found on Texas SH 21, which is on the same route taken during the Spanish Colonial period known as El Camino Real de Los Tejas.

These mounds are in the Coastal Plains region of the American continent and specifically in the Pine Belt area of northeast Texas, just southwest of Alta, Texas.

These mounds in eastern Texas lay near the extreme southwest edge of the great mound building culture called the Mississippian Culture. Today, three prehistoric mounds interrupt the prevailing flat terrain and have long been overgrown with grasses, but in the past, these mounds and the adjacent village covered about 100 acres where they were populated by the Hasinai branch of the Caddoan Culture.

The villages were most likely of round houses that resembled giant beehives, in which areas, thousands of pot fragments, some pipes, charred corncobs, many nuts and flint points were found.

Centuries later, long after the villages were abandoned, this region was once again a center of civilization when in 1690, the first Spanish mission in east Texas was built to minister to the Tejas indians.

Excavation during 1939-1941 and again in 1968-1969 revealed that two of the mounds had ceremonial purposes, one of which was capped with bright yellow clay, and both appeared to have supported temples. The third mound was the tallest reaching a height of about twenty feet and during the excavations revealed several burial sites.

I awake early, rise, dress, start the jammer and then prepare to depart. Once all of my gear has been stowed, I drive off of the bluff, back down to the Kings Highway, (El Camanio Real), now SR 21 and stop at the Caddoan Mounds that are on either side of the highway. I was told that the park headquarters was destroyed by a recent tornado and want to see the damage and take photographs.

I have been up for an hour now after driving to the w-mart and sipping on hot coffee while working upgrading files to my website. Now, I turn my attention to where the Hall is located and find it on Loop 304, just counter-clockwise on the loop, a short distance from where I am now and drive there directly for the meeting.

When the meeting is over I drive east on Texas highway 21 along the route of the El Camino Real de Los Tejas NHT which is an old Spanish wagon road from Mexico City to San Antonio. Next, I come upon a small park with the Caddoan Mounds and stop to find out more about it.

then northeast to Nacogdoches, Texas and into Louisiana to Natchitoches.