Cahokia Mounds to get audio-guided tours

COLLINSVILLE -- The Cahokia Mounds historic site near Collinsville soon will begin offering audio-guided tours in three languages, courtesy of funding to be freed up by state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

Giannoulias announced Thursday that he'll release $550,000 from a Cahokia Mounds preservation fund intended to benefit the site of a once-thriving prehistoric city.

The audio tour system will provide information in English, Spanish and German and could cost as much as $100,000. It's still unclear where the remaining $450,000 might go.

Cahokia is believed to have been inhabited from 700 to 1400 A.D., and it was among the most complex societies of prehistoric North America.

The 2,200-acre property is designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site.