Spiro was the westernmost major site of the Mississippian culture, the mound-building civilization that dominated eastern North America from about 800 to 1500 CE. While Cahokia near St. Louis was larger, Spiro's location made it a crucial node in long-distance trade networks. Objects found here came from hundreds of miles away: copper from the Great Lakes, shells from the Gulf, obsidian from the Rockies. The ceremonial objects were among the finest produced anywhere in pre-Columbian North America - engraved shells depicting mythological scenes, copper plates, elaborate effigy pipes. Spiro was a place of power, and its elite were buried with the proof.

By 1933, the mounds had been abandoned for 500 years, remembered only as mysterious hills on the Craig farm. A group of local men calling themselves the 'Pocola Mining Company' leased digging rights from the landowner for $15. They were treasure hunters, not archaeologists. They tunneled into the mounds, found burials loaded with grave goods, and began selling artifacts to collectors and dealers. When they reached the Craig Mound - the largest and most important - they found the chamber so packed with objects they could barely move. Unable to extract items carefully, they used dynamite to open the chamber. The explosion scattered irreplaceable artifacts.

The damage went beyond the physical. Archaeological context - the position of objects relative to each other, their association with specific burials, the stratigraphy of the mound - was obliterated. Objects that could have told stories about Spiro's society, religion, and connections became rootless curiosities in private collections. When word spread about the richness of the finds, the looters worked faster, selling objects by the truckload. Archaeologists who visited were horrified but powerless. The mining continued until 1935, when public outcry finally led the Oklahoma legislature to pass the state's first antiquities protection law and shut down the operation.

After the looters were expelled, archaeologists spent decades trying to salvage what they could. They excavated the damaged mounds, recorded what remained, and traced artifacts that had been sold. Objects from Spiro are now scattered across museums worldwide. Some collectors donated their holdings; others kept them hidden. The site itself was preserved, eventually becoming Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center in 1978. But the loss is incalculable. We know Spiro was important; we'll never know exactly how important. The looting destroyed the answers to questions we haven't yet learned to ask.

Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center is located off Highway 9, about 7 miles north of Spiro, Oklahoma. The visitor center features exhibits on Mississippian culture and the looting's impact. Walking trails lead to 12 mounds; the Craig Mound, scene of the worst destruction, is visible. Replicas of key artifacts are displayed, as the originals are scattered in collections. The site offers interpretive programs and special events. The Spiro community holds an annual 'Indian Day' celebration. Fort Smith Regional Airport in Arkansas is 30 miles east; Tulsa International is 120 miles north. The site is open year-round but hours vary; check ahead.